Homecoming
by Dynared21
Summary: The Paladins had never expected to see it so soon. Earth, home. All Lance and Hunk wanted was a little vacation and a chance to see their families again, some respite from the seemingly endless battles. What they found instead was a planet at war with the Galra, and a planet that considered Shiro humanity's enemy. How did a planned vacation go so wrong?
1. Landfall

_**While characters from another fic I'm working on are being adapted for this story, no prior knowledge is necessary for this fic.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 1 – Landfall**

 **BOOM!**

"Go! Go! Go!"

"All the lions are on board the castle! Securely!"

"Then let's go!"

The starship known as the Castle of Lions left the wormhole, having escaped yet another Galra patrol. For a month now, since the Paladins and Allura had been re-united, it had been seemingly the same. Hit and run attacks on Galra installations to disrupt their war engine, before backing out and making their presence known a few days later, choosing a random location to warp jump to and re-starting the process. The method had proven extremely effect, and utterly exhausting to the five Paladins. Emerging from their lions to the main bridge of the castle, the group stretched out, offering congratulations on another successful raid.

However, on the most recent jump, as the Paladins looked out at the planet in front of them, they saw something none of the five had expected to see for some time, if ever. The sight was enough to cause all of them to quiet down, the usual taunts and boasts gone from the chamber. Allura, blissfully oblivious to this, began reading out reports from her charts.

"We appear to have come across the third planet in the solar system. Galra activity has been present but minimal according to transmissions from the area, claiming work on a 'classified project'. The planet itself seems to be only in the beginning throes of space travel, but the population is…"

"Home," Lance suddenly interrupted, his shocked expression turning into a huge grin. "Guys, we're home!"

"Hold on, really?" Hunk asked, before looking out at the planet and sharing the same grin. "It is! It's Earth! We're home!"

"Home?" Allura asked, confused as to why Lance and Hunk were suddenly jumping and dancing for joy. Turning to the more subdued trio of Pidge, Keith, and Shiro, she asked, "You mean this is the planet you all came from?"

"In so many words," Pidge answered. "Nice little mudball, isn't it?"

"We gotta get down there!" Lance exclaimed, going up to Allura even as she maintained her position in the cockpit. "I've gotta see Mom! Let her know I'm OK! You can all come! We'll say hello, have some _pernil,_ it'll be great! Not to mention," Lance continued, motioning towards Allura, "you're gonna love the beaches. Well, I'm gonna love the beaches when you're down there, but that's besides the point."

" _Pernil?_ What's that? _"_

"Roasted pork shoulder. My mom makes the best _pernil_ in the world! She slow cooks it in the oven for hours, there's a ton of spices, it's amazing. Trust me, you're gonna…"

"Wait, wait," Shiro interrupted. "You do realize we all left Earth wanted men and women, right?" Pidge offered a slight grin at the mention of "and women", which Shiro acknowledged with a quick nod. "If we go down to Earth, and we get caught, we're gonna have to answer a lot of questions. Not to mention Galaxy Garrison is going to want to study Voltron, probably dissect the lions…"

"Not on your life!" Allura said. "I'm not letting some backwater world scientist touch Voltron!"

"Relax!" Lance assured Allura. "Nothing on Earth can keep up with the lions, let alone capture them! And it's not like we're staying for good! We stay a few days, Hunk and I let our families know we're OK, you get some good food for a change…"

"Hey!" Coran shouted.

"And then we pick up and head back on the road fighting the good fight! I think, we deserve a vacation, and my parents live close to a beach so it's not like we'd be traveling a lot. Just wait till you're down there," Lance continued, mentioning every little landmark he had grown up next to from the small pizza place on the boardwalk to the one area where the locals preferred to hang out.

"So do mine," Hunk added. "You know, Lance's idea makes a lot of sense. Maybe we could use a few days off. Recharge the batteries, you know? I mean, shore leave is a thing for a reason. Not to mention being able to have seafood from this one place, it'll make the whole trip worth it."

"You have a point," Allura said while nodding.

"It's ridiculous," Keith shot back. "If we stay here, the Galra could come looking for us! Not to mention every second we stay off the offensive the Galra rebuild from their losses! We can't win if we let the opponent breathe too long!"

Allura nodded again while adding, "You have a point."

"Well sorry that some of us have lives outside of this," Lance shot back, "but I'm not a robot, and neither are Shiro, Pidge and Hunk! Well, the arm technically makes Shiro a cyborg, but…"

"You really think a trip to your parents is worth potentially losing a war?"

"Hell, it's not like you'd know, you don't have any parents!"

The room went deadly silent at this. Lance realized he had made a major mistake when Keith didn't shoot back with a usual insult, only offering a weak but sincere "I'm sorry."

"We know how strongly you feel about this," Shiro interrupted, doing his best to diffuse any potential argument, "and given the situation, a few days rest may be best for all of us, physically and mentally. Let's face it, we've been working pretty hard. We'll find somewhere safe to land, out of sight, make sure that no one is actively looking for us, and then we'll take a few days so you both can see your families again. After that, we'll be on our way. As long as being on Earth doesn't actively compromise what we're doing against the Galra, or put us or Voltron in any danger, then there's no reason we can't rest for a few days. I think that's fair."

The group all nodded, especially Lance, who turned to Keith and went, "you know I didn't…"

"Forget it," was Keith's quick and curt reply. "It doesn't matter."

"Well now that all that's settled," Coran began, "I'll look for an appropriate place for us to land out of sight. Lance, where was your family located?"

"Well, mom's in Florida, but we've got family in Cuba that we visited all the time too. For now though, you're looking around the city of Miami…"

"What about my family?" Hunk asked.

"It wouldn't be fair to spend all our time with just Lance's family," Allura replied. "We'll spend half our time at Lance's and half with Hunk's family. I believe that's fair, is it not?"

"Sure it is," Lance answered, nodding approvingly.

"Where are they located?"

"The Haw…"

 **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**

"Oh no, this can't be right!"

"What? What can't be right?" asked Lance.

"There's a signal coming from your 'Florida'. It's a Galran Robeast! Two!"

"Oh no," Hunk said aloud. "Then that means…"

"Did they follow us here?" Keith asked.

"That doesn't make any sense," Pidge answered. "Why attack the planet if they followed us? They must have been present already!"

"Well we can't just leave them!" Hunk exclaimed. "We need to get down there!"

"Wait," Keith protested. "What's happened while we left? Shouldn't we try to figure out why the Galra are there?"

"Who cares?" Lance answered. "There's Robeasts tearing up Florida! We pilot Voltron! We need to do something about it now!"

"Agreed," Allura answered. "I don't know what they're doing on your homeworld, but we cannot just leave without dealing with them. Paladins, prepare to mobilize!"

The five Paladins all nodded, and then ran to their lions. Lance couldn't help but groan slightly.

"Well so much for going unnoticed. But hey! Maybe saving the Earth will clear up all that nasty fugitive business!"

"Wouldn't that be nice," Keith answered. "Then maybe you can shut up about missing your mommy."

"Hey, don't be mad I live next to a beach!" Lance answered, knowing better than to address Keith's thorny parental issues again. "I'm sure they'll welcome you for a few days if you can pull that stick out of your ass!"

"Why don't you two get a room after this and be done with it?" Pidge asked. Immediately, the pair shot back with a deadpan but firm response.

"We're straight."

"Well, so much for that fantasy," Pidge lamented.

* * *

 _ **Arizona – Galaxy Garrison Headquarters**_

 _PRIORITY 1 ALERT! VOLT ALPHA, BETA, GAMMA: SCRAMBLE! PRIORITY 1 ALERT! VOLT ALPHA, BETA, GAMMA: SCRAMBLE!_

Running down the halls of the laboratory of the Garrison, three pilots quickly picked up their helmets from a table and dove into three separate tunnels, each marked with the Greek symbol for Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. As they slid down the tunnels, feet first, the trio landed in chairs which went down a long corridor, finally placing the chairs in large jet fighters, colored blue, red, and black respectively. Their movements were like clockwork, having responded to this alarm several times prior and practicing for it dozens if not hundreds more times.

"Robeast spotted around Florida Doc?" asked the first man as he began adjusting the instruments in front of him.

"Correct. Two. It appears the Galra are trying to put more resources into their guerilla tactics. Intercept and destroy."

"Roger that. Volt Alpha, moving out!"

"Volt Beta! Moving out!"

"Volt Gamma! Moving out!"

The three jets flew through underground tunnels before finally rising towards the surface, heading towards their target at incredible speed.

* * *

Hunk couldn't help but sigh. While Lance had been the most gung-ho about getting shore leave of sorts, he had a family that he wanted to visit as well. The idea of going home, visiting the family, maybe having a big dinner seemed simple, deceptively so.

Instead, as the five lions flew towards the planet, easily withstanding re-entry into the atmosphere, he found two Galran Robeasts attacking a small city, both doing their best to cause as much destruction as possible. The first was a tripod machine with thick armor and no discernable face, but at least four arms. The arms, extending in claws, seemed to have laser cannons of some sort at the end of them that it was using to attack buildings and any vehicle that got close enough to the machine. The second, more humanoid in shape, had the face resembling an armored helmet with two horns and a massive scythe in its hand, slashing at buildings and roads. Its body was covered by a tattered cloak that battered in the wind even as its owner swung its scythe at anything unfortunate enough to cross its sight.

Shiro had already noticed the enemy, and was planning accordingly.

"Let's split up and attack in pairs! Pidge! Lance! You're with me! Keith, Hunk, take the humanoid Robeast!"

"Roger!"

The group got to work immediately, Pidge and Lance firing at the tripod Robeast while Shiro's lion formed a dagger in its mouth, using the distraction to zip past the machine and land a powerful strike on its torso.

"Nice work Shiro!"

"Don't get too confident just yet," Shiro answered back. "That thing's armor is way too thick to take out with just the dagger. Not to mention," he added while looking down, "there isn't a ton of space to move around here!"

"Well we can't always fight in a desert," Pidge replied.

A similar situation was occurring with the second Robeast as Hunk and the Yellow Lion absorbed the blow of the machine's scythe while the Red Lion jumped over it, firing a massive blast from its mouth. The blast knocked the machine down, disarming it.

"We got him!"

"Yeah, but he's getting up!" Indeed, the machine rose again, both Keith and Hunk realizing they would need more than the Lion's weaponry to defeat the pair. This became even more evident as the scythe quickly flew back into the Robeast's hands, the machine raising it over its head in a war cry.

"It's going to take all day for the Lions to bring them down at this rate!" Pidge said.

"This isn't working!" Shiro began. "There's only one way we can take them down!"

"Right!"

"FORM VOLTRON!"

* * *

"Professor, we're five minutes out from the target! There's way more than two Robeasts according to the sensors!"

 _You're correct Daniel. In fact, the signals are a perfect match for what was in the tunnel._

Another voice spoke up with this information. "You mean?"

 _Yes. The Lions. The reason this whole war started._

"Well today they're gonna pay!"

"Should we be just going in guns blazing?" a third voice asked.

 _Vince has a point. You three are authorized to engage and destroy the lions or their Voltron if they refuse to surrender. But try to bring them in alive if possible. Understood?_

"Roger that!"

* * *

The people who had evacuated the city turned back to look at the battlefield the downtown area which had turned into a ring for the two monstrous machines and the giant robot with lion heads for hands and feet. It stood, the robot's metallic gaze never veering from either of its opponents.

Then the robot with the scythe lunged forward, prepared to strike Voltron.

"Keith! Sword!"

"You got it!"

A sword formed in the mouth of the red lion, or the giant robot's right hand, its blade blocking the blade of the Robeast's scythe. Too quickly, the machine moved forward, aiming to strike the Robeast's torso, but the machine anticipated the strike, deflecting the blade with an attack of its own.

Back and forth the pair clashed steel and aggression, the other Robeast seemingly unwilling to fire and potentially disabling an allied unit. Instead, it, along with the people who had survived the initial assault, watched as the two giant robots continued to duel.

Finally, an opening appeared. One that Keith might have missed had Hunk not pointed it out to him.

"Keith! His shoulder's vulnerable!"

"HAAA!"

A powerful slash towards the shoulder of the machine's shoulder caused it drop its scythe towards the ground, while a second took the head of the Robeast clean off, at which point the machine fell and did not rise again.

"And now for…AHH!"

Powerful blasts of energy from the second Robeast pounded Voltron, causing it to fall to the ground and drop its sword.

"Pidge! "Shield!"

The assault of the Galran machine was relentless, with the shield of Voltron only helping somewhat with the endless barrage of lasers. Standing to its feet, Shiro began to hurriedly ponder his next move.

"We need to neutralize those guns! Any ideas?"

One of the other paladins didn't answer Shiro's request; rather a barrage of missiles that struck the Robeast dead center and interrupted its onslaught of laser fire. Wasting no time, Voltron picked up its dropped sword and ran the machine through, ensuring that the blade traveled through its torso till it was split in two. Both halves of the Robeast fell to the ground, inert and harmless.

"Who did that?" Keith asked.

"Look!" Pidge answered, moving the camera of Voltron till it saw the culprit. Three large jet fighters, one blue, one red, and one black, flying in formation above the battlefield.

"What do we say?" Keith asked.

"Let me try," Shiro answered, before flipping on a switch to broadcast his words over a loudspeaker as well as local radio frequencies.

"Look, thanks for the assist. You're probably wondering…"

" **ATTENTION PILOTS OF UNIDENTIFIED ROBOT!"** a furious voice began from the blue jet fighter. " **THIS IS LIEUTENANT DANIEL TONG OF GALAXY GARRISON! SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY AND ABANDON YOUR MACHINE OR YOU WILL BE DESTROYED! THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING!"**

"Is he joking?!" Lance asked, confused at the hostile greeting. "Something tells me three Earth fighters aren't going to keep up with Voltron!"

"Lance!" Shiro interrupted firmly. "Let me try to negotiate." Turning back to the fighters, even as they continued to fly overhead, he continued.

"We will not surrender, but our intentions are not hostile. We…"

Instead of answering with words, the three fighters immediately began to fire a second barrage of missiles, which Hunk and Lance's quick thinking allowed Voltron to dodge. Undeterred, the trio began moving in again.

"You wanna play rough, huh?" Lance shouted to the Garrison pilots. "We're the Defenders of the Universe! Your pieces of crap are no match for Voltron!"

"That's what you think," Daniel's voice boasted. "Vince! Larmina! Alpha formation! Let's show these jackasses what happens when you bring an alien invasion to Earth!"

" **FORM VOLTRON!"**

Hunk was baffled at these words. "Wait, WHAT?!"

Looking up, all five Paladins saw exactly what Daniel had meant as the three jet fighters began to twist and contort, the blue fighter into a pair of humanoid arms and humanoid hands, the black fighter into a pair of legs, and the red fighter broke apart into various accessories and parts of the torso.

"AND I'LL FORM THE HEAD!"

From the nosecone of the machine, two sides split open to reveal a humanoid face. The machine, equal in size to Voltron, stood in front of the Paladin's robot, its fists ready. Standing tall, the robot pointed the finger from its right hand at Voltron.

* * *

"Did those humans make a giant robot and call it 'Voltron'?!" Allura asked from the control room of the Castle of Lions. "That's an insult to my father!"

"Well, it's not Voltron per se," Coran replied. "It's made of air vehicles, not the lions."

"This 'Vehicle Voltron' isn't Voltron! Paladins, you may feel free to teach your fellow humans a lesson in respect!"

* * *

"So do we fight?" Keith asked. "I mean, Allura said it was OK." Pidge however, was preoccupied with a more pressing question.

"Since when can Galaxy Garrison make giant robots?"

"Takashi Shirogane," Daniel interrupted, "you bought the Galra to our doorstep! Convinced them they had to conquer Earth to find Voltron's secrets!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Shiro protested.

"You and your friends started a war that's cost the lives of thousands, maybe millions, and you're going to answer for your crimes! Dead or alive, you're coming with us!"

The other paladins had had just about enough of the Galaxy Garrison pilot and his threats. Claiming to pilot a giant robot called Voltron was bad enough, but combined with the outright threats and everyone had just about had it.

"Just try it," Keith answered. "If you think your cheap knockoff can compete with the real Voltron!"

"With pleasure!"

* * *

 _ **Next - Voltron vs. Voltron! And how did Shiro go from the lost pilot to seemingly Earth's greatest enemy?**_

 _ **As always, enjoy and review.**_


	2. Clash of Steel

_**Before I start, I just want to thank the reviews I got for pointing out some potential plot holes, which I then took as inspiration to add new plot threads to seal them up as well as to edit some things in the first chapter to prevent things from seeming rushed. This is why I ask for reviews and criticism. Because it always helps to have an extra set of eyes on what I'm doing.**_

* * *

The Paladins and Voltron stood on one side of the devastated city, while the trio of Galaxy Garrison pilots and their giant robot, which they also called Voltron, stood on the other. Neither made an immediate move, waiting for the other to strike.

"I tried to warn Earth!" Shiro yelled. "I made it a point…"

"To lead the Galra here!" answered a woman's voice from the Garrison's Voltron. "We saw your message! The whole thing!"

"Y..you did?"

"What, you thought we'd just fold over and surrender because you asked nicely, Regent?"

Shiro grimaced, partially because he was unaware of what the woman was talking about, and partially because his message to Earth had the complete opposite intention. He had intended to warn Earth about the Galra! And what was all this about being a regent? Clicking several buttons on a control panel, Shiro began to formulate a plan as best his could.

"Pidge, keep them talking. I don't think starting a fight in the middle of Florida is going to make us look any better than we apparently do."

"Talk?" she asked. "What am I supposed to say?"

"Something that will keep them from attacking us, even for a little bit. The rest of you; be prepared to retreat on my mark. We are not going to fire on them unless fired upon, understood?"

Grumblings emerged from Keith's intercom, the young Paladin clearly upset at the accusations hurled at Shiro.

"Keith! If we attack, we're only going to make things worse." After a brief moment of silence, the Red Paladin finally responded with a curt, "OK."

Clicking another button, Shiro asked, "Coran, you are getting all this, right?"

 _Yes, we are Shiro. The princess seems to be a mite upset about the humans claiming to have created a Voltron thing, though, but she's showing her usual restraint…_

 _Paladins, if you let a human made knockoff defeat you, I swear I will never let you hear the end of it!_

"I need you to see if you can access Earth's Internet via the castle's computers. I know accessing communications is usually more direct than this, but our information networks should say why they think my warning was a plea to surrender."

 _Well, there are numerous satellites in orbit. It shouldn't be too hard to access one as a routing point into your Internet. I'll begin looking immediately._

While Shiro began putting his plans in place to find out why these accusations were hurled against him, Pidge meanwhile was attempting to negotiate with the pilots of the other Voltron, a task she was finding far more difficult.

"Look, we don't have to fight," Pidge said, attempting to use a voice as neutral and non-threatening as possible to counteract Keith and Lance's earlier bravado. "There's been a misunderstanding from what we've wanted Miss…"

"Larmina. And if that's the case, then surrender yourselves and your robot to Galaxy Garrison," the woman replied.

"We can't do that."

"Then we're going to take it by force!"

"I've heard enough!" yelled Keith from out of nowhere. As he did so, Voltron jolted forward, ready to attack. "If you had listened to Shiro, none of this would have happened! And your little tin can isn't going to stop the Galra, much less us!"

"Keith, no!" Shiro shouted, but it was too late.

"Tin can?" the voice of Daniel answered. "Here's what a tin can's capable of!" NITRO PUNCH!"

The fist of the human-made Voltron lunged out, and without warning, launched from its arm like a rocket, guided by a thick cable. The Lion Voltron's charge was quickly stopped as the fist hit it square in the head, knocking it down while the hand returned to the arm of the Vehicle Voltron."

"Its fists shoot like missiles!" Lance yelled. "The thing's fists shoot like missiles!"

"We've been fired upon!" Hunk added.

Shiro groaned at Keith's impulsiveness but nodded. "OK team, we need to neutralize the threat as quickly as possible and then leave!"

"VOLT BEAM!"

A pair of lasers fired from the eyes of Vehicle Voltron, lasers that would have struck dead center had Pidge not formed the shield in the nick of time. Instead, the blast bounced off the shield, leaving the Paladins safe.

"Let's counterattack!"

Laser blasts from Lion Voltron fired from the free hand as Vehicle Voltron put up its hands in defense. The distraction was sufficient to allow the Paladins to close the gap with their opponents, delivering two powerful punches to the head of Vehicle Voltron.

"SOLAR COMBAT SPEAR!"

Before a third could be landed, the group had to back away, as a massive spear appeared in the hands of Vehicle Voltron, swinging directly at it. While they backed away, Vehicle Voltron spun the spear in its hands a few times before placing the tip forward.

"You'll have to do better than that Regent!"

* * *

Allura watched the battle on the video screens with a combination of worry and anger. She was always worried for the Paladins, as even the seemingly smallest missions they went on could be their last if they weren't careful. But this seemed far more concerning. They were fighting a machine that seemed to be, if nothing else, a very competent imitation of Voltron, with people who believed Shiro to be working for Zarkon! But that made no sense!

The anger came from the same place. Accusing a Paladin of Voltron of being corrupt with no proof? Making a machine on this backwater world and calling it Voltron? Constantly yelling out its attacks?

It was a good thing that years of diplomacy had taught her restraint or she would be shouting for blood right now.

"Coran, have you found anything?"

"Well, Princess, I used that communications interception Shiro told me about, and it appears that among the various videos of games and sports, discussions about films, and human pornography…"

"Spare me the details and get to the point."

"Right," Coran answered, continuing. "It appears that three videos were allegedly sent by Shiro, including two…well after he formally joined us."

"What? Do you have them?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do."

Pressing several buttons on the console in front of him, a second screen opened, separate from the one showing Voltron's struggle against its human-made counterpart. The first was Shiro, struggling to stand, as he sent a message.

 _They're coming. And if you want to survive, you must surrender! They know about us, and they will not stop. Their mercy will let us live, but only if you listen to me! Please, you can live your daily lives without fear if you surrender!_

Allura said nothing, while Coran put on the second video. "This was sent one month after the Blue Lion left Earth."

The image of Shiro was different, no longer hobbled, but standing straight. But it was what he was wearing that immediately raised Allura's eyebrows.

It was a Galran officer's uniform.

 _My name is Shiro, the appointed Regent of Earth under the grace of Emperor Zarkon. People of Earth, you ignored my warning, and now this fleet under the command of Viceroy Throk has been instructed to greet Earth the same way it does planets at war with the Galra Empire. Your capital cities will be razed to the ground, and your leaders who insist on war with an empire that cannot be defeated will be executed. Resistance is futile. Let the light of the Galra Empire save Earth from itself, or face our wrath!_

"That's not Shiro," was all Allura could respond with. "These messages…they're forgeries of some kind. There's no other explanation for this!"

"One more message Princess! It dates roughly two weeks prior to now!"

The third message demonstrated Shiro, this time wearing the armor of the Black Paladin, a sight that troubled Allura given the words he was saying.

 _People of Earth, it has been several months since our war started with Earth, and yet you continue to resist us with your inferior military and knockoffs of Voltron._

"Knockoffs?" Allura asked. "There's more than one?"

"It would appear so," Coran replied. "Articles show no less than four giant robots battling Galran forces across Earth. A machine called Vytor in the Asia/Pacific region, another called RAMROD in South America, and something called the Saber Rider in Europe."

"This problem may be worse than I thought," Allura answered.

 _Therefore, to deal with this resistance, I will be journeying to Earth myself to lead the assault against Earth's military resistance. Again, I implore you, abandon this futile resistance! Join us in peaceful co-existence and we can rebuild Earth greater than it ever was before! I will rule Earth righteously, guiding you as a wise father guides his children. Otherwise, I will be forced to shed the blood of any human who opposes me, an act I will take no pleasure in._

 _But you will know who rules you. Takashi Shirogane will be recognized by humanity as its leader under Emperor Zarkon and the Galra Empire._

The monitor turned off, and suddenly the hostility of humanity had made perfect sense to Allura and Coran. The Galra had put a face to the invasion of humanity, a narcissistic traitor to his race with delusions of godhood and an expert tactical mind; a hypocrite who seemed to relish grinding cities under his boot heel while claiming all he wanted was peace.

Whoever had decided to make that face Shiro was going to pay.

"Princess, what is all this?"

"The Galra don't have me fooled for a second," Allura confidently declared. "They must have intercepted Shiro's initial distress call and used that to craft fake messages making it appear that Shiro was leading the fight against Earth. So instead of getting a message warning them, they got messages demanding surrender."

"Didn't they also say that Shiro would lead the fight against Earth personally?"

The blood drained from Allura's face as she realized what this meant.

* * *

"HA! HA!"

Back and forth the swings of the spear from Vehicle Voltron went while the Lion Voltron did its best to dodge and counter. Finally, it swung out a bit too far, giving Pidge the opening she needed to fling the left arm of Voltron right into its opponents face, knocking it down.

"Keith! Now!"

"Right!"

In Lion Voltron's right hand, a sword formed, which he tried to lunge into the ground to strike down his foe. Instead, however, he missed, as the three jets separated.

"Vince! You know what to do!"

"FORM VOLT BETA!"

"Beta?!" Hunk asked.

"AND I'LL FORM THE HEAD!"

The three jets combined again, but this time into a different looking robot, one with its face covered by a solid silver faceplate and a huge lance for a left arm. The machine appeared to be taller and thinner than its earlier form, but no less dangerous.

 **WHOOSH!**

With incredible speed, powered by what appeared to be a massive jet engine on its back, the "Beta" Voltron began flying towards its opponent.

"That thing's fast!" Lance warned even as it appeared directly in front of Voltron.

"BLAZING SAWBLADE!"

Raising its sword in time as a defense, sparks flew as the sword of Lion Voltron met with what was essentially a chainsaw on the Vehicle Voltron's right arm. Hunk and Lance dug the legs of Lion Voltron in firmly, ensuring that they wouldn't lose their footing in the face of this relentless assault.

"We're never going to surrender to you or the Galra!" Vince declared. "Shiro, you've tried and you haven't knocked us down yet, what makes you think you're going to succeed now with that antique?"

"You blithering idiots!" Keith snapped back. "You're ants compared to the Galra and Voltron! Now give up before I get really mad!"

"Not helping!" Shiro said.

Finally, after a few moments where neither side was able to secure the advantage, Vehicle Voltron backed away, only to raise its left arm, electricity crackling around the lance.

"LIGHTNING LANCE STRIKE!"

'HUNK! LANCE!" Shiro ordered. "We need distance!"

The tip of the lance scraped the side of Lion Voltron, although it barely scraped the paint, sent several hundred volts into the machine itself, causing the pilots to grimace.

"Ugh!"

 _Shiro, come in!_

Even as the machine tried to move as far from the enemy as possible, Shiro could only acknowledge the request by going "I'm a little busy Coran! This isn't a good time!"

Turning back to his communicator, he went "Hunk! Shoulder cannon! That thing has no long-range weapons! We can drive it off with ours!"

"Got it!"

Immediately, the cannon formed on Lion Voltron's shoulder, firing laser blasts in all directions. Vehicle Voltron effortlessly danced and darted through the debris of the broken battlefield that was once a city, helpless to strike back lest it stands still too long and be destroyed.

"This is no good!" Vince shouted. "Larmina, you're up!"

"Right! Separate and form Volt Gamma! And I'll form the head!"

What landed in front of Lion Voltron wasn't the sleek form of Vehicle Voltron's Beta form, but instead a thick, squat tank of a robot, with stout legs and a barrel body, swiveling on a small midsection. On top of said body was a head resembling a helmet, smooth and black save for two red eyes.

"GO!" Larmina yelled. "VOLT TORNADO!"

Powerful winds kicked up from a turbine on the tank-like robot, which sent Lion Voltron's cannon flying off and nearly took the robot itself off its feet. It was only through sheer force of will that Lance and Hunk were able to keep it grounded.

"Now!"

The trio of jets split apart and formed together back into its original form, charging at the stunned Lion Voltron. Shiro had already put two and two together!"

"Sword!"

"FORM BLAZING SWORD!" echoed from the trio of Garrison pilots as it drew a giant broadsword, a two handed weapon with the emblem of the Galaxy Garrison on its hilt. Swinging it, the blade collided with Lion Voltron's own sword, which stood firm for the moment.

"The enemy Voltron can reconfigure into different forms depending how their vehicles combine together!" Shiro said.

"We figured that out already!" Lance shouted back. "How do we stop it?"

"Lance!" Pidge interrupted, before offering a plan.

"Then it would stand to reason that if we can prevent the jets from combining, we could disable the enemy machine. But they seem to have way more weapons than we do!"

"Again, we know!"

"Lance, if you have a better plan, I'd like to hear it!"

"Disarm that sword for starters mullet boy! We're not doing anything until that thing is out of its hands!"

"You two really are adorable sometimes."

"Not now Pidge!"

Neither Voltron was wiling to give up an inch in their sword duel. Each strike from one was blocked by the other; lunges towards cockpits were deflected by the blow only for the following slash to be blunted by another defensive parry. All the while, the pilots from both Voltron's snapped at each other with words carrying the same venom as their blades.

"This is your big attempt to show the world you're boss Regent Shiro? A robot with lion heads for hands and some punk cadets you promised, what, Europe? You're going to spend the rest of your life rotting in jail once we've sent the Galra packing!"

"You idiot! You have no idea what you're up against! We shouldn't be fighting, but maybe this is the only way to convince you that you can't win by yourself!"

"Yes, we can!"

Vehicle Voltron leaped into the air, its strike attempting to take the head of Lion Voltron clean off its body. Instead, the blow was blocked one last time, sending both swords falling into the ground.

"This is pointless," Shiro said, charging forward. "You can't win!"

From his cockpit, Daniel smirked at the charging Voltron.

"Idiot."

"What?"

"WING BLASTER!"

The next thing the Paladins felt was the unbearable heat from a laser beam striking Lion Voltron dead center, stopping it dead in its tracks, its pilots doing all they could to stay conscious.

"Major damage to all systems!" Pidge announced. "We took that shot clean! I'm not sure if we can take another!"

"Larmina!"

"Leave it to me!"

The hand of Vehicle Voltron shot out, grabbing the dropped spear from earlier. Leaning it back, the spear found its mark, directly in Lion Voltron's chest.

"AHHHH!"

"ARRRGH!"

"UGH!"

All five Paladins screamed in agony as the feedback from the attack caused Voltron to collapse back into the form of the five lions, their Paladins rendered unconscious by the combined shock of the earlier heat attack, the electrical feedback from the spear finding its mark, and the collapse of the lions rather violently onto the ground. When the lions failed to rise again, a cheer arose from the crowd of evacuees watching the battle, echoing throughout the city.

"VOL-TRON! VOL-TRON! VOL-TRON!"

Sighing in his cockpit, Daniel couldn't help but smile.

"We won."

"Of course, we won," Larmina said. "We weren't going to lose to a traitor and his stolen machine, were we?"

"Nope. Vince, if you please?"

Vince sighed, and then pressed a button on his instrument panel.

"Voltron Force calling Galaxy Garrison command. Repeat, Voltron Force calling Galaxy Garrison command. Come in Commander Hawkins."

 _This is Commander Hawkins. Report._

"We have defeated the Lion Voltron and captured Takashi Shirogane and his accomplices. Requesting a Galaxy Garrison pickup team."

 _Excellent work Voltron Force. The world is in your debt once again. A cleanup crew will be heading to your location shortly to pick up the lions and their pilots. Hold tight for now._

"Understood," Vince replied before turning off the console, taking some time to soak in the cheers of the adoring crowd.

* * *

"That's not possible. They lost. They lost to a human-made copy of Voltron!" The horror on Allura's face said it all as she viewed the conclusion of the battle, as well as the arrival of numerous Earth vehicles which began to haul the lions and their Paladins away.

"Princess," Coran asked, "what are we going to do?"

The horror on Allura's face was soon replaced with a steely resolve. She grimaced at the sight but remained firm.

"Find out where the humans are taking my Paladins."

"And then?"

"What else? We're going to rescue them and the lions!"

* * *

"Viceroy Throk, the Robeasts we sent to Earth have been destroyed."

"Again? We're losing ground in this war more quickly than I would like."

"There's something else, though. The reason they were destroyed?"

"Oh? Show me."

Looking on at a video screen, the Galra commander looked on at the reason for the destruction of the Robeasts and the subsequent battles. He smiled.

"The Paladins are here. Including the Black Paladin."

"Yes, Viceroy. What should we do?"

"Voltron is on Earth. We must retrieve it. Not to mention, we must retrieve our regent, shouldn't we?"

"I'll make the preparations."

"Good." Taking a sip from a glass of wine at a nearby desk, Throk smiled, looking at the images from human news stations of the Lions being hauled away, celebrating the incarceration of the Black Paladin.

"The weapon even Zarkon fears. Soon, it will be mine."

* * *

 _ **Next - A thirty car pileup of an escape! Everyone wants Voltron and Shiro, but only one side is actually going to be able to keep them!**_

 ** _Also, I've noted this before, but Vehicle Voltron's re-design is essentially Getter Robo in this fic. To be fair, the never-released Gladiator Voltron was based on an anime that was a pretty blatant knockoff, and the Getter Robo design for mecha combining has always been cool to me. Enjoy and review._**


	3. Public Face

_This was the scene earlier today in Tampa Bay, Florida, a massive battle between giant robots, which ended in the capture of Takashi Shirogane, AKA Regent Shiro. For several months, Shiro has been imploring the Earth to surrender to a new government with himself as its figurehead. Commander Hawkins of the Galaxy Garrison had this to say._

"We can't let our guard down, but this is a great victory not just for the Voltron Force, but for all of Earth. I know there's a lot of families who will get some closure once Shiro faces trial for his crimes."

 _It is expected that Shiro's trial for crimes against humanity will occur before the International Court of Justice given the Galra's path of destruction affecting multiple nations. It is also expected that several members of the United Nations and the Galaxy Garrison program will be pushing for the death penalty. And now for local news…_

* * *

The waves felt good. There was always the bit of adjusting to the temperature of the water, but once Lance got in, it was just a matter of letting the waves carry him to and fro.

"I needed this," he muttered to no on in particular. The sun, the sea breeze, the relaxing movements of the waves, it was all he wanted to see after months in space, fighting seemingly endless battles, and eating Coran's green slop.

 _Lance._

Wait, how did he get here? Did he even say hello to Mom?

 _Lance!_

"Wait, what?"

The beach and the waves fell away, replaced with the metallic insides of a transport craft, and a familiar face shoving him with his shoulder, as his arms were in handcuffs. Looking around, Lance realized they were all in handcuffs, their Paladin armor removed and replaced with orange jumpsuits. This sadly meant he couldn't use the communicators to radio Allura for help.

"What are you doing? Mumbling again about beaches. You know, we're in this mess because of you!"

"Me?" Lance yelled at Keith. "Who's the guy that attacked the other giant robot when Shiro told us we were going to run?"

"So this is my fault? After I warned all of you going back to Earth was a bad idea? Where do you get off telling me it's my fault?"

"Because Shiro gave us an order, but instead you got mad someone insulted him and decided 'Hey, I'm not going to let someone talk about my BFF that way'!"

"That's rich coming from someone who was going 'Oh, I can't wait to see Mommy!' all morning!"

The pair was all set to continue arguing until they realized someone was staring at them. Looking across, they noticed her, wearing handcuffs like the others, grinning.

"Oh don't mind me," Pidge began. "Keep going. It's cute."

The grin was enough to get Keith and Lance to stop arguing, with Lance muttering something about a "creepy gremlin girl." As they did, another voice, sitting next to Pidge spoke up.

"How about we, I dunno, do something useful instead of arguing? You know, like trying to figure out why we've been taken out of our armor and put in handcuffs, where we're being taken, and I dunno, FINDING OUT HOW THE HELL CAN GALAXY GARRISON MAKE JETS THAT COMBINE INTO GIANT ROBOTS?!"

"You say that like it's any less ridiculous than giant robot lions that combine into a giant robot," Lance replied.

"Yes! Like a million times more ridiculous! Where did they get the technology to do that? How is it able to shift forms? And why was something made on Earth capable of going toe-to-toe with Voltron and winning?!"

Both Keith and Lance stared at each other for a moment, ready to blame the other. However, they chose to not give Pidge the satisfaction, instead focusing on other issues. Realizing they wouldn't argue, Pidge gave her rundown of the matter.

"We know that the Earth is fighting the Galra directly, and they blame Shiro, who they called 'Regent' a few times. Any reason they would call him that?"

"'Regent' implies a government representative," Hunk answered. "So that would mean they think Shiro represents the Galra."

"Where is Shiro anyway?" Keith asked.

"If they really believe Shiro is this 'Regent', then they probably wanted to take him back alone and under heavier security," Pidge replied.

"Why would they think that?" Lance asked. "Wasn't Shiro trying to warn everyone?"

"Well it has people convinced," Pidge continued. "And somewhere during this war, Earth got its hands on technology extremely similar to Voltron's, and modified it for their own ends."

"Except theirs is a Swiss army knife of weapons," Lance said. "I know Allura said we weren't tapping into all of Voltron's capabilities, but that thing had flying rocket fists, laser cannons, chainsaws…I'm kinda jealous!"

"Jealous that the ancient Alteans didn't get their ideas for weapons from Japanese cartoons?" Pidge asked.

"Yes! I want a chainsaw for Voltron. Or at least that flying rocket punch thing."

"Well we don't have one," Hunk answered. "That we know about anyway. Besides, that's not important. What's important is when this war started, how many Galra forces are we dealing with, and where Earth got its hands on Voltron's technology."

"Well we're not going to figure it out in here," Keith lamented. His concern was accented by the feeling of the jet descending, presumably having arrived at its location, and followed by a voice blaring over the intercom.

 _This is your captain speaking. We have arrived at our destination, Galaxy Garrison headquarters in Arizona. We hope you enjoyed our flight with us, and don't mind the men with the guns. They're here for your protection._

* * *

"W…where am I?"

Shiro opened his eyes, as he found himself sitting at a table in a gray, featureless room with a single door and a window made of tinted glass. As he looked around for any signs of life, he realized that his Paladin armor had been removed, and his hands bound in restraints. He tried to reason how long it had been since the battle in Florida, reaching up towards his face. Judging by the thickness of the stubble that had formed on his chin, it had been at least an entire day, a day and a half more likely.

Slowly the memories, fragmented as they were, began to return. He was chained; his armor removed and then escorted on a jet…somewhere. The others were taken separately. Once he arrived, flashes of cameras were all around as he was taken to a prison cell. A few hours later, he was given the finest meal the prison system had to offer, chicken in a cream of some sort with salad, milk, and apricot slices for dessert. The only thing he remembered after that was sleeping, trying desperately to rationalize what had happened to him. When consciousness returned, he had a quick breakfast and then found himself here, waiting for…someone.

The door swung open, and from it emerged a black haired man with a square jaw and light skin. His expression remained stoic even as he sat down, never showing signs of anger or sadness. As he spoke, an authoritative air emerged from every word he spoke.

"My name is James Hawkins, Commander of Galaxy Garrison. Now, Takashi Shirogane, or 'Regent' Shiro. Which do you prefer?"

"I'm not who you think I am!" Shiro shouted. "I tried to warn Earth about the Galra! I don't know why you think I'm working for them?"

"So then this isn't you?"

Reaching into his pocket, Hawkins pulled out a small device that began broadcasting a holographic projection for Shiro to see. Shiro grimaced, recognizing the man and the armor he wore.

It was his face and his Black Paladin armor.

 _People of Earth, it has been several months since our war started with Earth, and yet you continue to resist us with your inferior military and knockoffs of Voltron._ _Therefore, to deal with this resistance, I will be journeying to Earth myself to lead the assault against Earth's military resistance. Again, I implore you, abandon this futile resistance! Join us in peaceful co-existence and we can rebuild Earth greater than it ever was before! I will rule Earth righteously, guiding you as a wise father guides his children. Otherwise, I will be forced to shed the blood of any human who opposes me, an act I will take no pleasure in._

 _But you will know who rules you. Takashi Shirogane will be recognized by humanity as its leader under Emperor Zarkon and the Galra Empire._

As the projection shut off, Shiro yelled aloud "That's not me!"

"And why should I believe anything you say? You attacked Voltron with your lion robot. Your messages have been broadcasting for months. It's pretty obvious that you're the public face of Galra's invasion because they decided we would listen to a traitor before we listened to an alien."

"I tried to warn Earth! You've got this all wrong!"

"It seems open and shut to me. Although with that being said, we'd like to talk to you about your friends and the lion robots themselves."

Shiro could only think _'the others?'_ briefly before declaring, "They're innocent! Do what you want with me but leave them out of this!"

"You do realize the severity of the charges against you, right? They include treason, implications in the deaths of thousands across multiple countries, and direct connections to the destruction of several cities. You're going to be sent to the Netherlands in three days time to face trial before the UN Court, and from what I understand the biggest debate is whether or not to sentence you to death."

"I'm innocent!" Shiro shouted. "I don't know who made these messages, but I wasn't out to conquer Earth! I didn't even realize the Galra had gotten here!"

"That's your story?" Hawkins asked, to which Shiro nodded, tears welling up in his eyes at the accusations facing him.

"Then we're done here for now. We'll talk when you have some actual explanations." Getting up, Hawkins walked out the door, leaving Shiro to contemplate the gravity of what he was being blamed for.

* * *

"Well, Professor Wade?"

Walking alongside Commander Hawkins was a thin man in a lab coat with a gray, well-kept beard, and a moderate tan. His face wore an expression of frustration.

"We haven't been able to find out anything about the lions from the inside."

"What? Why not?"

The second we placed them in the hangar and removed their pilots, all five of them created an energy field around themselves designed to keep us out. It gives off approximately 100,000 volts so anything that isn't authorized to go through is going to be fried to golden perfection when it comes out the other end."

"We've overcome Galra shields before," Hawkins said.

"Yes, but those were direct assault missions! The kind of power necessary to disable the shield with conventional weaponry will assuredly destroy the lion robots as well. And considering how different these robots are from the standard Robeasts we've been fighting, it would be an utter shame to destroy them without exhausting all the other options."

"Have you learned anything?"

"From our external scans we've learned that the metal we're dealing with is advanced beyond both human and Galra technology. The damage that the machines endured in the last battle even seems to be healing itself, as if there's an organic component to it."

"The machines are regenerating?"

"Repairing themselves, yes. Imagine the possibilities of such technology!"

"Then the pilots may still be of some use to us. Miss?"

Responding to his call, a woman in a Galaxy Garrison uniform, her long blonde hair and pale skin standing out among the gray and silver of the hallways, approached Commander Hawkins, saluting.

"I need you to get one of the prisoners from Cell Block E out to the interrogation room. Reaching for a tablet in his pocket, Hawkins elaborated. "E26. Lance McClain. He seems to be the most likely to cooperate."

"Yes sir," the woman saluted, before running off to grab the prisoner.

* * *

Being in prison sucked.

Well, that was obvious to anyone who had actually had to endure the experience. But as Lance looked at his cell, isolated from the others, with no comforts save a cot, a toilet that was thankfully covered by a privacy screen, and a steel door, he groaned at the memories of the various indignities he faced today.

There were the men with submachine guns and a desire to point out the fact that they had them every five seconds by pointing them at the Paladins. There was the breakfast that wouldn't suffice for kindergartners, a thimbleful of cereal and a hard-boiled egg with some weak coffee. There was the fact that the other Paladins had all been split up and sent to different cellblocks.

Despite all that, the thing that stuck out the most to him was when he was being sent down to his cell and coming across a woman in a red and white pilot's uniform, the uniform itself resembling thick body armor. He had recognized the girl from some of the classes he took, thinking the redhead was pretty cute when he did.

"Hey! You remember me, right! This is all a big mistake! I…"

 _ **SLAP!**_

The slap from the woman took the taste clean out of his mouth as he stared, confused, unable to rub the bruise with his bound hands.

"I always just figured you were a low-rent lecher. I never had you pegged for a traitor."

"Lecher?" Lance asked, only for the woman to walk away, the second man in a blue and red pilot's uniform walking alongside her as she occasionally looked back at Lance with a look of contempt.

Now sitting in his jail cell, pondering what to do next, he began looking for something, anything to kill time. So far the closest thing he could come up with were push-ups and crunches, and that got boring after the first ten minutes.

A loud knocking soon interrupted his train of thought, both a sense of relief to alleviate the crippling boredom and the dread at what they had planned for him.

"Mr. McClain?"

Looking at the window to the door cell, Lance saw a blonde-haired woman with pale skin and the uniform of a Galaxy Garrison officer looking back at him. She offered a smile that, despite everything else, immediately seemed to put him at ease.

"Hey," Lance said, waving as he did. "It's nice to see a friendly face around here." The woman offered a slight giggle at this.

"You don't recognize me, do you?"

"Did I hit on you at the academy too? I'm getting a lot of angry former classmates today."

"Please stand back," the woman said. "This may take a few tries."

Nodding, Lance went off to a corner, only to hear the rustling of keys as the door was opened. Walking inside, the woman looked on at the chains that bound Lance's hands and feet and effortlessly snapped them apart with a quick pull. It was as if they weren't even there.

It was then that Lance realized who the woman really was.

"Allura!"

Immediately, Lance reached out and embraced his rescuer, who offered a few more giggles at the affection of the blue Paladin. However, after twenty seconds of him not releasing said embrace, amusement turned to annoyance. Allura found herself picking Lance up by the back of his shirt, lifting him into the air as if he weighed nothing at all.

"As amusing as your affection can be, this is hardly the right time. We need to find the others, as well as the Lions and your equipment."

"Right," Lance nodded, before Allura set him down, removing the last of the shackles that were on his hands and feet. "How did you find us anyway?"

"Coran used your planet's computer systems, the 'Internet', and found where you were being taken. After that, it was a matter of studying what the average human officer looked and acted like, and then landing safely enough to rescue you."

"Do you know where the others are?"

"Apparently, everyone was split up for security reasons. We'll rescue the others first, then find your bayards and armor, and finally take the Lions out of this place back to the castle. Hopefully, they've recovered from that disaster of a battle yesterday."

"Got it. By the way, the blonde hair's a good look for you. Still prefer the original, though."

"I'm thrilled," she sarcastically replied.

* * *

The security around the facility was as heavy as could be, given that it served as both the headquarters for Galaxy Garrison's science division, as well as the prison where the Paladins of Voltron were being held. Granted, the former, and the desire of the humans to study the Lions were the only reason that everything was under the same roof, but for the Galra forces that had landed outside the facility, it meant one-stop shopping. As the night sky and its many stars hovered overhead, the group began reviewing their plan.

"Remember the plan," the head Galra officer spoke to his subordinates, five other Galra soldiers, one wearing a thick helmet, and six robots. "Set the bombs and then detonate them when we have eyes on the Black Paladin. Then the main assault force will get called in, and we haul it out of here with everything in tow. Questions?"

With acknowledgments from all the living accomplices, the Galran soldier began motioning for his men to move through the outskirts of the prison, setting square-shaped boxes by specific points in the wall as he did so.

"Most of the facility is underground, so we're going to need to find an entrance for the last three. Keats, that's where you come in."

The man in the mask nodded and then began looking for an entrance.

* * *

"You really don't like that guy, do you?"

Looking over at the chuckling African-American man with the thin hair, the redhead smiled as she ate the chicken and peppers in front of her.

"I liked slapping him, Vince."

"Larmina, was it worth it?" asked another man, his black hair matted by the sheer amount of time he spent wearing a helmet earlier that day.

"Yes, it was Daniel. Yes, it was."

"What I don't get," Vince said, "was the whole 'I'm innocent!' act from all of them. Like they lost and all of a sudden it's all 'Please don't hurt me anymore!'"

"I just don't get why Shiro figured to make his big entrance in Tampa Bay. Why not DC or London or Tokyo? You know, make a big entrance to announce his conquest of the world?"

"Got me," Larmina answered. "Then again, I'm sure Fireball would appreciate being able to take down Lionbot himself."

"What, you mean Shin…"

"Come on," Vince interrupted. "You know he hates being called that. He never heard the end of it in school."

"I'll bet."

The conversation of the trio of pilots soon turned to lighter subjects, particularly a playoff baseball game that Daniel had been struggling to get tickets for and the ensuing dread that an emergency might take him away from it. He was in the middle of describing a rather colorful way he would deal with any Galra commander who forced him to miss it when an explosion rattled the base, followed by the blaring of the alarm."

"Are we under attack?"

"They must be after the prisoners!" Daniel shouted. Hurrying out of the mess hall, he and the other pilots began heading towards the armory.

* * *

"So you have no idea where the others are?"

"I was told by the man who sent me to talk to you that you're all being held in different sections of the prison complex. There're six cellblocks, and the others are being held in four of them. The security around Shiro's is the tightest according to this device I took from the guard I got this uniform from."

"And we're in B, right? So the prisoner…"

"Is right here," Allura answered, before looking for the appropriate key. Unfortunately, it wasn't present. Going up to the view hole, she kindly told the occupant to stand back.

 _ **WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!**_

After the fourth attempt at ramming the steel door with her shoulder, the door's lock finally broke and flew open, the thick steel remaining on its hinges despite the dents present.

"Hey!" Lance shouted as he ran inside. "We gotta get…oh."

"Oh?" Keith asked. "What's 'oh?' You were gonna leave me here?"

"The thought had occurred…" Lance began, before a sharp glare from Allura caused him to go "O..of course not! Come on, we need to find the others!"

"Allura," Keith said to the blonde. "Thanks."

"I didn't have you fooled for a moment, did I?" the blonde asked.

"I don't know too many other girls who can knock open a steel door empty handed. Where are the others?"

"They're in other cell blocks. And your Earth girls should exercise more then."

"What, dude," Lance said, "you gotta thing for muscle chicks or something?"

"You…"

"Ignore him. This is no time for petty bickering."

The group was all set to move out again when a series of explosions shook the ground they were on. Keith could only ask, "Was that you?"

"No, but I'm afraid I know who it was! We have to hurry!"

* * *

The sounds of gun and blaster fire echoed throughout the cellblock Shiro was in as guards yelped and what sounded like Galra robots were reduced to shreds. Walking up to the cell he was in, a small explosion flung the door open, and revealed the presence of a masked man and a Galra soldier robot, the only two survivors of the gunfight outside.

"Who are you?" Shiro asked, with his hands bound.

"I've come to save you, 'Regent' Shirogane."

"I'm not the Galra's Regent! I'm the Black Paladin!"

"You're correct," the masked man replied, removing the helmet he wore and showing his face to Shiro, who could only gasp.

"But let's not let the Earth quibble over whose playing whose role, my double."

* * *

 ** _Next - Everyone wants Shiro, but only one side is going to have him! How can the Paladins prove their innocence when the circumstances seem to have made them appear even more guilty?_**

 _ **This is definitely more of a character-focused chapter after the first two, which at least to me, was addressing the serious lack of Voltron fights in Voltron fanfics. I applaud the decision to make the Paladins equals to the robot instead of playing second-fiddle, but the show is called Voltron for a reason. In any event, enjoy and review. Constructive criticism, pointing out of plotholes, and other such comments are always welcome, which I will then do my best to fix.**_


	4. Breakout

Shiro gasped at the sight in front of him. It was he or rather, someone wearing a very accurate facsimile of his body, with even the scar and the metallic arm perfectly replicated. Motioning to the robot, the machine placed the mask he was wearing on Shiro's head while removing his bindings.

"Now, Regent, just sit back and let your faithful body double do all the acting. All you have to is sit there and be unconscious while I handle all the other stuff. Try to relax."

"You won't…ugh…"

Shiro had no words for his double, as he found himself pricked with a quick pinch on the neck, after which consciousness left him. With Shiro out cold, the body double spoke into his communicator.

"This is Keats. We have the Black Paladin. Be prepared to pick me up. I need to make this as loud and as public as possible."

He smiled and then began to walk out the prison cell, with his object in tow.

"Come now, we can't keep our public waiting."

* * *

Alarms blared throughout the facility as guards began doing their best to lock down the prison. For Allura, Keith, and Lance, this made it even more imperative to find the others before the guards or whoever the intruders were done. Luckily, it seemed that the attention of most of the guards was occupied elsewhere, presumably where Shiro was located.

 _One problem at a time_ ; was all Allura could think in her mind before seeing the door in front of her. Not even bothering with subtlety, she began ramming it repeatedly until it flew open, Keith staring intensely all the while.

"You are into muscle chicks, aren't you dude? Come on, admit it, you like it when they can bend iron."

"What does it matter?" Keith asked, his face flushed red between gritted teeth.

"That one's taken."

"By you!?"

"Guys!" exclaimed a rather relieved Hunk when he saw the others; only to see them once again staring at each other like enraged pit bulls.

"Guys, is this the best time?"

"No, it's not," Allura replied, walking in front of the trio. "I told you already, we need to focus on the task at hand!"

"Well I know where Pidge is," Keith said. "Cell Block D22. If we hurry, we can beat the guards."

"I don't think so!" a voice suddenly interrupted. Looking behind themselves, they saw two men and a woman holding rifles pointed directly at the group. Lance grimaced at the familiar face of one of them. As they did so, no one saw Allura sneak back into the prison cell.

"Going somewhere lecher?" the redheaded woman asked. "Your Galra buddies aren't getting you out of here!"

"You got me all wrong baby," Lance replied, even as Keith and Hunk kept their hands raised, unsure of what to do next.

"You're not going anywhere," the first man said, his pale eyes piercing the group. "If you don't go back in that cell, I will kill you."

"You've done quite enough to my Paladins for one trip!"

A loud CLANG of metal echoed from the prison cell as Allura ran out, using the steel door as a makeshift shield, the bullets from their rifles bouncing off of it. Wasting no time she rammed the shield into the trio, driving them into the wall.

"FIND PIDGE AND USE THIS!" Allura shouted, throwing Hunk the key ring on her belt. "We'll meet by the Lions!"

"But yo…"

"They're humans! It shouldn't be too difficult to hold them off! I'll look for Shiro, just find Pidge!"

"That's what you think!" the black-skinned man shouted before firing at Allura's foot, causing her to drop her makeshift shield. Wasting no time, she ran forward to disarm the group, only to be hit with the butt of the woman's rifle, stunning her briefly. Allura quickly recovered, ramming the woman into the wall.

"Larmina!" the pale-skinned man screamed, before turning his attention to Allura. "Galra bitch!"

From a holster on his pants, the man drew a hatchet (which he found from the fire station on the way towards the prison block) and began swinging it wildly at Allura, his hair and sideburns thrashing out with every swing and thrust of the blade. Realizing that the blade of the weapon would likely be extremely painful, if not fatal if he connected, she began doing her best to dodge and dart out of the way, leaping to the other side of the hallway from the feral beast of an officer. The woman called Larmina used the time to recover from being rammed into the wall, pointing her rifle directly at Allura.

"Surrender Galra. There's three of us and one of you, and last time I checked, your kind isn't bulletproof. Or axe-proof."

"Who said I was Galra?"

Allura used the brief moment of confusion to leap for the door, throwing it towards the group, who were all forced to duck out of the way. The moment of confusion was all she needed to run off, having left the cellblock. Daniel grimaced.

"Dammit, we had them!"

"They couldn't have gotten far!" Larmina reasoned. "Let's go after them!"

 _Voltron Force, come in!_ A voice suddenly blared through the communicators of the trio. Wasting no time, Daniel answered it.

"We're a little busy Professor Wade!"

 _We're about to get busier! Fifteen Galra Robeasts have landed and have begun attacking the Garrison headquarters! They must be trying to cover Shiro's escape!"_

"But…"

 _The guards can look for the prisoners. Only you three can pilot Voltron! Prepare to move out on the double!_

"Yes, sir!" Turning back to Vince and Larmina, Daniel announced the news.

"Change of plans! We've got a whole bunch of Robeasts outside trying to cover Shiro's escape! We can't let that happen!"

The pair nodded, and the group began running towards the hangar, hoping that the guards could handle the situation.

* * *

The alarms had alerted Pidge that something was wrong, but what exactly she didn't know. She had spent her time between eating the slop that was prison food and sleeping attempting to plan her legal defense when questioned by the Galaxy Garrison brass. After mentally eliminating the first draft which involved loudly accusing them of hiding the truth about what happened to her brother, she began mentally preparing a much calmer defense…accusing Galaxy Garrison of hiding the truth behind her brother, which therefore rendered them untrustworthy and their word about her unreliable in a court of law.

The finer details of the defense were still being worked out when she saw the window of her cell door open, revealing a familiar face.

"Hunk! What happened?"

"Long story!" the smiling Yellow Paladin replied, fumbling around for the right key. "Hold on, I'm gonna get you out of here!"

"Good, it was getting boring."

A clang of the key being turned unlocked the door, letting Pidge free from her confinement. She immediately ran out to join the others, nearly embracing Hunk in a hug before instead stopping herself, offering a smile. As she looked on at the group, one question sprung to mind.

"Where's Shiro?"

"Allura's gone after her," Hunk answered. "We need to find our armor and bayards, and then we're supposed to meet by the lions and bail!"

Pidge nodded at this, adding, "The bayards and armor are probably in the laboratories. How far are they from the prison blocks?"

The sounds of angry guards behind them interrupted their reunion, the Paladins running as fast as they could in the opposite direction.

"They found us!" Lance yelled.

"We can tell!" Hunk answered. Wasting no time, he grabbed Pidge and threw her over his shoulders despite the girl's protests. The group then did the only thing they could, ran in the opposite direction as fast as their legs could take them.

* * *

Gunfire permeated the hallways as 'Shiro' began walking forward, his prize over the shoulder of a Galra war droid. Luckily, the others had seen fit to join him, clearing a path for the 'Regent'.

"Excellent work men," the regent told the five remaining soldiers.

"We've lost too many people on this op as is! The Robeasts are almost here too! We gotta go!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" another soldier asked.

 _ **THIS!**_

From out of nowhere, the cry of a woman stunned the group as 'Shiro' ran out of the way of two massive metal barrels, both of which hit the remaining Galra soldiers, knocking them out cold. He could only mutter "W…who are you?"

"You don't recognize me? Come on Shiro, I know you're better than that." After a few more seconds of blank stares, she offered a slight pout before going "Fine!"

The blond haired woman's skin began to darken into a rich hazel color while her hair turned from gold to silver. It was at that point he recognized who it was.

"P…princess Allura?"

"Is now really the time to be so formal? Come on, we need to meet up with the others, and quickly!" Taking his hand, she began dragging him out of the room.

"R…right."

As they walked out, she failed to notice him signaling the Galra battle droid to follow behind, keeping the masked man slung over its shoulder.

* * *

The chaos outside of Galaxy Garrison headquarters may have exceeded the chaos inside. Several miles away and closing was the largest ground force that the Galra had ever deployed on Earth since their initial invasion. Tanks and soldiers supported the fifteen Robeasts, all with the presumed same objective; spring Regent Shiro from his confinement. It was a fact that Vince noticed all too readily.

"I don't know if even Voltron can take on fifteen Robeasts at the same time!"

"Let's form Alpha! We can't let them just walk right in and take Shiro home with them!"

Moving into proper formation, the three jets began to combine into the form of Voltron. Landing in front of the army, the trio of pilots immediately noticed a pair of Robeasts charging them, a cross between a humanoid and a horned rhinoceros, teamed with a whip-wielding creature that resembled a skeleton.

"NITRO PUNCH!"

Two rocket-powered fists flew at the Robeasts, knocking them back and leaving thick dents and exposed circuitry in their wake. It only provided a temporary respite. Two other Robeasts charged forward, one firing laser blasts and the other swinging a set of axes at Voltron, which barely dodged the latter and was struck by the former, knocking the group and their machine to the ground.

"We are so outnumbered it's not even funny!" Larmina exclaimed. "We need backup!"

 _Backup? Why didn't ya say so?_

From overhead, a large jet aircraft, easily three times the size of the individual Volt fighters, began firing on the Robeasts, drawing their attention. It was a sight Larmina recognized quickly.

"Colt!"

"You were expecting Clint Eastwood? I got word about your little problem, and trust me, I don't want that bastard Shiro escaping any more than you do!"

Pressing buttons on a console, Colt said "Bismark, convert RAMROD to Challenge Phase! Let's give the Voltron Force a hand!"

 _Acknowledged Colt,_ a voice began from the machine, seemingly doing a John Wayne impression as it did so. _Navigational control, on. RAMROD challenge phase: 1._

The inside of the jet began to fold out, revealing a humanoid robot that used its outer shell as a cape. Most peculiarly, the robot itself seemed to be fashioned with what was meant to look like a 10-gallon cowboy hat on top of it, colored an appropriate brown.

"That thing doesn't look any less ridiculous no matter how often I see it," Daniel said, even as he began moving Vehicle Voltron to its feet.

"We're ones to talk," Vince answered.

 _Hit em up, move em out! Power stride, and ready to ride!_

Immediately the robot began going to work, drawing two pistols from its sides and firing energy blasts towards the Robeasts and Galra tanks, destroying the smaller vehicles and driving back the heavier machines.

"Nice to see you join the party Colt," Daniel began, "but we're still outnumbered fifteen to two!"

"I wasn't the only one who joined this little shindig. Look over there!"

Looking to his left, Daniel noticed that three of the Robeasts had moved away from the front lines, surrounding a silver and red colored robot with numerous sheaths on its sides holding swords and a large cannon on its back. The first machine, a tripod Robeast with three claws, charged forward at the lone mecha, its features resembling samurai armor.

"SUNFIRE SWORD!"

With a speed not suggested by the robot's size and bulk, it drew a blade and sliced the claws clean off the machine, followed by an expertly placed thrust into its center, destroying the Robeast.

"Come demons!" spoke a voice from the machine, even as the robot clutched its sword firmly. "Vytor will send you to your graves!"

"Fireball! Or should I say, Shi…"

"Daniel!" the voice of 'Fireball' interrupted, dropping his earlier air of pompousness and theatrics, while still retaining a slight Japanese accent. "What have I told you about calling me that?"

"What did everyone tell you about overacting?"

"Don't mess with what works. Now where's Saber Rider? I doubt he'd want to miss this little party!"

"Yeah, we could use the extra guns!" Colt added.

 _You're all the same!_ Interrupted a voice from the intercom. _Always worried about having the most guns. Focus on how to use them first!_

From overhead flew a trio of blocky robots, colored red, black, and blue, the red one wielding a small cannon, which it fired at the ground in front of the trio of robots. Once it did so, a longer rifle seemed to phase from thin air into the hands of the black robot, as the pilot began looking through the thick plume of smoke.

"Infra-red on. And…there!"

Blasts permeated the smoke, striking down smaller targets, but not preventing the horde from charging through. The pilot of the black machine chuckled.

"Fine then. Gladiator Voltron, combine!"

The three robots began to shift and contort, turning into arms, legs, and a torso that layered upon themselves. What stood alongside the other robots was a machine with a black head and upper body, a red midsection, and blue legs, holding a giant long sword.

"I think four against twelve are much better odds," Saber Rider said.

"Almost feel sorry for the dumbasses!" Cold added.

"You feel sorry for them?" Fireball asked.

"I said almost! They are trying to spring one of the biggest criminals in Earth's history!"

"Then let's show them we mean business!" Daniel yelled, as the foursome of giant robots charged the Robeasts in front of them.

* * *

Keith, Lance, and Hunk had a pretty good idea of where to go. Run where the bad guys weren't. While Pidge may have suggested keeping tabs on the laboratory they were supposed to meet Allura at, she had little say in the direction of the group tossed over Hunk's shoulder as if she were a sack of potatoes. Although as soon as she saw a sign, she realized she had to act.

"Left! And shut the door!"

Not having the time or the luxury of protesting, the group did as they were asked, Keith and Lance closing the door behind them and Hunk doing his best to seal it off by pushing several chairs and desks in front of it. Clanging continued from the other side, but for the moment, it appeared they were safe.

"Can you warn me the next time you do that?" Pidge asked, adjusting her glasses.

"Uh, sure, when angry people aren't chasing us," Hunk replied. "Where are we anyway?"

"Uh, guys?" began Lance. "Look!"

On a table in the room, separate from other equipment, was the armor of the Paladins, along with their bayards. The weapons and armor seemed to have been in the midst of undergoing testing when the alarms blared, left to the side for when the crisis had concluded.

"That's a sight for sore eyes," Keith said, grabbing his armor and bayard. "I've had it with the prison look."

"Were they shooting at mine?" Hunk asked, examining the armor as thoroughly as possible before putting it on.

"I would assume that they were testing all the properties of alien technology before the explosions occurred," Pidge answered, securing her own armor and bayard. "Now let's go before they come back with friends."

"Sure," Lance said, "but where are the Lions?"

Looking around for clues, Pidge noticed several monitors showing what appeared to be the lions resting in a laboratory, their protective barriers deployed so as not to let anyone get too close who wasn't supposed to.

"Looks like they're three floors over in a testing hangar."

"Yeah, but there's only one door," Hunk replied, looking on at the barricaded door, which the guards behind it were doing their best to bust open. Lance, meanwhile, looked at the sight and smiled, holding his rifle.

"Yeah, but we've got something we didn't before."

"Right…"

Chuckling to himself, Hunk hoisted the transformed form of his bayard, a massive machine gun, and waited for the guards to open it.

 **CRASH!**

"Move in!"

A group of armed officers entered the lab, only to notice the two escaped prisoners holding heavy weaponry, smiling as they aimed it at the advancing group.

"Back! Back! Back!"

Blaster fire unloaded from the bayards at the feet of the panicked soldiers, who quickly turned tail and ran rather than facing the prospect of being gunned down.

"Well," Lance began, "that oughta give us a few minutes."

"You didn't hit any of them," Keith said.

"Look," Hunk began, grabbing Shiro's armor as he began heading out the door, "we're in enough trouble as it is. We can probably explain the 'Shiro being framed' thing, maybe even the prison break, but dead Galaxy Garrison soldiers? That'd be a lot harder."

"Point taken. Let's find the Lions and get out of here!"

Two rooms and a flight of stairs over, the group found their goal, the five lions, all resting proudly in an otherwise empty hangar. They appeared to be functional if still showing signs of damage from the previous battle.

"Hey, Blue!" Lance yelled to his lion. "Ready to get out of here?"

"Well we can't leave yet," Hunk said, "not without Allura and Shiro!"

"I know that!" Lance answered even as he took up a position with his rifle pointed at the door. "I just want to be close to the escape vehicle when everything goes down and more stuff blows up."

The group didn't have to wait long. Five minutes later, a panting Allura, now back to her normal appearance, rammed the door down and sent it flying as she walked through the door, with Shiro following behind.

No one had noticed the shade of red Keith's cheeks turned before Lance went up to the pair.

"Hey, you're here! Now let's go!"

"Agreed. You all take your lions."

"So, you wanna ride with…"

"Keith?" Allura asked sweetly. "Do you mind if I ride with you?"

"O…of course not!" Keith stammered, quickly focusing on the task at hand. Wasting no time, the group quickly ran to their lions, Hunk stopping to throw Shiro his armor before boarding the Yellow Lion.

"Shiro!" Allura shouted. "What are you waiting for?"

"N…nothing!" Shiro stammered, looking on at the Black Lion and the force field that surrounded it. Sighing to himself, he walked up to the Lion to enter it.

Only to be knocked backward by the force field, the Black Lion growling at the fallen pilot.

"Shiro!" Keith yelled, getting off of his lion to attend to his fallen friend.

 _Keith! Stay away from him!_

"Who…wait," Keith began, looking through the hall at the man in front of the door, holding what appeared to be the torso of a Galra robot. "Shiro? Then whose…"

"It's not me! Why else would the Black Lion send him flying?"

Keith took one look back at the fallen man with Shiro's face, only to be blinded by a bright light from his metallic arm, followed by a sharp blow from the arm. While the Paladin armor was enough to deflect the blow, Keith was momentarily dazed, long enough for the fake Shiro to run in the other direction.

"Brilliant deduction detective!" the fake shouted, before pressing a button on his metallic arm. "I must admit I didn't account for running into the princess and her merry band of jackasses, as they say on Earth, much less the Lions of Voltron!"

"Then why don't you give up now?" asked the real Shiro.

"Ah, but it doesn't matter!"

 **BOOM!**

The roof of the building caved in, as light poured through, with Galra fighter craft hovering over the created hole like bees over a nest.

"One way or another, 'Shiro' is leaving this prison to rejoin his Galra compatriots, and the Voltron Paladins will be seen as Earth's greatest enemies!"

* * *

 ** _Next - Freedom is only a few steps away, not just for the Paladins, but for the fake Shiro! Now that they're aware of the deception, can the Voltron Paladins clear Shiro's name? And how will they escape the prison when a full-scale battle has broken out just outside its walls?_**

 _Not too many notes on this chapter, other than they're more obscure mecha references from other WEP productions, and I'm pretty sure Keith having a thing for strong girls is now my headcanon. As always, enjoy and review._


	5. Lions on the Run

From within the hole that the barrage created, a Galra fighter craft flew down to pick up the fake Shiro. Pidge, however, wasn't about to just let the imposter escape, moving the Green Lion forward.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" the fake shouted. "An errant shot in here might just cave in the entire hangar and leave you all dead! Not to mention," he added as the fighter craft hovered next to him with an open hatch, allowing him to jump on board with relatively little effort, "I'm the only proof you have of Shiro's innocence!"

Shiro growled at his double as the fighter began to fly off. "You won't get away with this!"

"Call me Keats, Shiro, and in case you can't tell, I already have!"

As the fighter craft flew off, Keats began to fumble with a control pad next to the pilot of the ship.

"Attention all Galra forces! Withdraw! We've gotten what we came for! Besides, I wouldn't want the Earth's defense forces missing the lions attempting to escape!"

With the order given, and unknown to Shiro and the others, the former too busy putting on his armor and preparing to escape, Galra fighters and ships began to retreat from the battlefield, flying off into a warp hole as fast as their engines could take them.

"What do we do now?" Lance asked.

"What else can we do?" Keith answered while hopping in the Red Lion, Allura standing right behind him as he began activating the controls. "Let's get out of here before people realize that we're gone!"

"Agreed," Shiro said, entering the Black Lion and activating its controls. "There's a massive battle raging outside. If we move away from it, we should be able to slip by unnoticed."

With no objections from the group, the lions flew off towards the hole in the ceiling, preparing to make their escape.

* * *

"GO! VOLT TORNADO!"

Powerful winds emanated from the heavily armored form of Volt Gamma, driving two Robeasts into the air while others struggled to stay on the ground.

"DELUXE MISSILES!"

From Gamma, two missiles fired at the Robeasts flung by the forceful winds, landing dead center and destroying their targets. They joined the rubble of ten others, leaving only four remaining. Two of those four took advantage of the brief respite to charge the slow moving machine, only for one to be intercepted by several blasts to the head and the other to face a slash from the long sword of Gladiator Voltron.

"Slowly but surely," Saber Rider told his compatriots. "Slowly but surely."

Expecting the remaining two Robeasts to attack, the group was surprised to see both, a floating torso with three guns and several massive engines attached to it, as well as a beast covered in chains and sickles, turn tail and run in the opposite direction.

"The Galra are retreating!" Vince shouted.

"Meaning," Colt replied, "either we've driven 'em off, or they got what they came for!"

Indeed, as they looked up, fighter craft, soldiers, and artillery all retreated to a Galran warship as fast as they could go. Once on board, nearly every single ship vanished into an open wormhole, not caring about the additional losses they endured in the retreat. Vytor drew its cannon from its back but was unable to target the fleeing Galra warship before it vanished into the portal.

"This is not good," Fireball said. "If Shiro escaped, the Galra are only going to redouble their efforts against Earth!"

"Wait a second!" Larmina interrupted. "I'm picking up five signals to the north of here. It's a match for the lion mechs we bought in!"

"Shiro!" Daniel screamed. "Alright guys, let's separate and go after them!"

"No!" Fireball interrupted. "I will pursue them! You all secure the Garrison in case the Galra try to feint us!"

"Voltron Beta is faster than Vytor," Vince said.

"Yes, but my tracking equipment is far superior. Even if the Lions escape, it won't be for long. We may even be able to find Shiro's main base this way!"

"Alright then," Saber Rider said, "We'll leave this to you Fireball. Don't let them escape!"

The four machines split up, with the armored form of Vytor flying towards the signal of the Lions. As it did so, Fireball pressed a button on his console.

"April, are you getting all this?"

 _Loud and clear Fireball. You need me to track the Lions and their signal?_

"Precisely."

* * *

"How far is the castle?" Shiro asked.

"Coran placed it fairly deep in the desert to avoid detection. We should be closing in on it in roughly five of your minutes," answered Allura, leaning over Keith as she did so. Keith blushed as red as his lion, but remained composed, doing his best to ignore the pretty woman leaning into him.

"Almost there then," Hunk said, a notable tone of relief in his voice. "I've about had it with Earth."

"Same here," Pidge replied. "This rock has given us nothing but grief since we got in."

The march of the lions towards the castle's location continued unimpeded for a moment before a singular object flew overhead.

"REGENT SHIRO! I CHALLENGE YOU!"

Lance grimaced, looking at the large mecha that flew overhead, attempting to intercept the lions. "Do we really have to do this now?"

"That doesn't look like the Vehicle Voltron," Keith said.

"It's not," Allura replied. "Coran found that there were at least three other giant robots fighting the Galra across the planet."

"YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE TRAITOR!" the pilot shouted in a loud, bombastic voice., landing his machine directly in front of the lions, where it stood roughly the size of Voltron's combined form. "Vytor will send you to hell along with your friends!"

"Any suggestions?" Hunk asked. "The lions are still beaten up and we don't know how strong that robot is!"

"We don't need to beat him!" Lance said. "Everyone scatter! I've got an idea to stall him!"

Not in a position to argue, the five lions split up, leaving the mecha called Vytor to pick a single target. Said target was the Green Lion, which was rammed by the machine and sent to the ground.

"AAAAH!"

"Pidge!" Shiro yelled. "Take this!"

As Vytor drew its blade, it was sent backward by a swipe of the Black Lion's claws, knocking it backward and leaving marks on the machine's left arm. Immediately it zoomed in on the Black Lion, which was forced to roll out of the way of a sword strike.

"STARFLAME BLADES!"

From the right gauntlet of Vytor, numerous large blades began firing out as if they were being shot from a machine gun. Dodging as best as he could, several of the blades scraped the Black Lion, causing Shiro to grimace.

"Must they constantly yell out their attacks?" Allura asked.

"They must be using voice-activated weaponry," Keith replied. "I doubt their machines are alive the same way the lions are, after all."

While the others began dodging and darting, Lance remained hidden, finding a small hill in the otherwise empty desert for cover.

"That's it baby, just keep him occupied a bit longer…and, now!"

Leaping from its hidden perch, Blue rose into the air, its mouth opened as it fired a beam directly at Vytor's feet. Thick ice soon began to form around the mecha, covering its legs and firmly fusing it to the ground.

"Worked like a charm!"

"Pat yourself on the back later!" Keith yelled. "Let's go!"

With no objections, the five lions ran off as fast as their legs could take them while Vytor focused on melting the ice covering its legs. Turning to face his targets, Fireball grimaced. They seem to have disappeared from his radar.

"AAAARGH! COWARD!"

 _Calm down Fireball,_ the voice of a woman interrupted.

"April? Did you…"

 _I have a positive trace on their energy signature. The Galra have pulled back for now as well. Come back to the Gallant. We can start looking for them there once you've returned to base._

Breathing heavily, Fireball answered "Roger that," before turning Vytor around, heading home.

* * *

Keats was having a good day. Then again, that's why he existed. To provide Earth a face for the invading force. Sure, it was someone else's face, but that's what made his overacting and cartoonish demeanor so fun. Now wearing a facsimile of Shiro's Black Paladin armor, he walked down the halls, grinning all the while.

As he walked through the halls of the Galra command center, he looked on at the Galra officer in the cape holding a glass of wine. He was grinning.

"Excellent work Keats. You are doing exactly what was asked. It's a shame we had to commit so many of our forces to this operation, though."

"It paid off, in the end, Viceroy," Keats replied.

"Yes, but now I must ask, what is our follow up? The world is convinced of the Paladins' guilt, but how do we take advantage of it?"

"Voltron will distract the Earth's defense forces while they erroneously pursue Shiro. In the interim, we will strike undefended targets and consolidate our gains. When we have the means to do so, we'll then launch attacks on the Earth's defense forces themselves, while they fall to superior numbers and tactics."

"Is that all?"

"No, actually," Shiro responded with a smile. "If Voltron isn't dealt with, I have a specific Robeast squad designed specifically for them. Zarkon will see our genius, and together we will secure our seat of power in the empire."

"That seems simple enough, but we can't let the Earth just capture Voltron on their own. Imagine if they studied it directly!"

"There's a reason I've been working on those two anti-Voltron Robeasts. You have nothing to fear."

"And yet all of your plans seem so simple."

"Constant pressure beats overly grandiose plans, my friend," Keats replied. "We can't let the heat off of Shiro for a second though. Which reminds me, I have a message to broadcast."

* * *

The briefing room of the Galaxy Garrison headquarters was one of the few not touched in the attack, unlike the laboratories, the prison, and the hangar. The tiered auditorium, designed to seat several dozens, was currently hosting the numerous pilots of the Earth's Defense Force, unofficially known as the Super Robot Corps. In addition, the broadcast was being sent to bases throughout the Earth, including to the sole missing member of the Robot Corps, Fireball, who had returned to his home ship after his failed attempt to capture the lion robots.

Although the enemy had been driven off, Shiro's escape meant that no one was in the mood to celebrate.

"Bastard must be really important to them if they sent an entire army to spring him," Vince said before the lights dimmed.

"Tell me about it," Daniel replied, putting his hand underneath his chin in a thinking pose. "We had him and he slipped through our fingers."

"Don't beat yourself up too much," Larmina said, patting Daniel on the shoulder. "We didn't know, and let's face it, we kept it from being a lot worse than it was."

"I guess."

"Gentlemen," Commander Hawkins began, "we have underestimated just how valuable Takashi Shirogane is to the Galra. The sheer amount of forces sent to rescue him have convinced my self and the rest of the Galaxy Garrison that Shiro is too valuable a target to capture, for fear that he may escape again. Therefore, as of this moment, orders concerning Takashi Shirogane are T-I-S: Terminate On Sight. If we are to defeat the Galra, Regent Shiro must die."

The various pilots looked on at the given order, doing their best to process it. A brown haired man wearing jeans and a white shirt; whistled when he heard the order as he had never heard Galaxy Garrison be so…ruthless. It was a feeling shared by his compatriots.

"That is strict. Probably fits your style, eh Daniel?"

"My style, Colt?" Daniel asked. "What's that mean?"

"It means that between the hair and the sideburns you look like a barbarian so this fits you perfectly."

"You got a problem with my hair cowboy?!"

"Actually I thought it made him look more like a caveman," Larmina said, giggling as she did so. Daniel took it as best he could, rolling his eyes heavily at the redhead.

"Kill on sight?" asked a blonde man, a slight British accent coloring his words. "Isn't that excessive?"

"Not after what just happened Saber Rider," Hawkins replied. "The Galra will commit any force to rescuing him if they believe he is alive. As a matter of fact," Hawkins continued, pressing a button on a console, "he seems to be wanting to make his feelings known."

The projector sprung to life, putting a video on the wall of Shiro's latest message. He wore the black and white armor that he had when captured, and an expression of utter fury.

 _People of Earth, I came to you with a message of peace and unity, and your response was feeble resistance and an attempt to treat me like a common criminal! Well, if that is the way you truly feel, then…_

* * *

… _I will respond in kind! I will burn your cities to ash, kill the families of government officials who continue to advocate for war, and make Earth a living hell until your wills are broken! Do not try to stop me! You know you can't!_

The Voltron Paladins all wore a look of sheer exhaustion as they looked on at the broadcast in the control room of the Castle of Lions. When it had finished, Lance was the first to speak.

"Shiro, evil you is hammy."

"Evil me is over the top because he knows it will provoke a reaction," Shiro replied. "If he keeps committing atrocities and blaming me for it, then there's no way for me to clear my name."

"So," Lance began, standing up to address the group. "Let's recap."

"What would you know about any of this, momma's boy?" Keith asked.

"More than you!" Lance answered. "Being all 'Oh, someone made fun of Shiro!' Lot of good that did us!"

"Well maybe if one of my co-pilots wasn't completely incompetent…"

"Yeah, who's the one who saved our assess when freaking samurai bot came after us?"

Allura groaned. Coran stared intently. Shiro buried his head in his hand, and Pidge wore a smug grin, clearly enjoying the pair's bickering. Hunk, instead of sitting to one side, decided to take a more active role in showing his disdain.

"Well that's lovely," Hunk interrupted, pushing both of them towards a pair of seats, "but I think I'll review this for the team."

He ignored Pidge's audible groan of disappointment, clearing his throat, and began drawing on the electronic board with his finger, the board reading the strokes as if it was chalk on a chalkboard.

"From what Coran has told me, we've walked right into a Galra invasion of Earth. One month after we first left, a Galra fleet invaded the planet under the command of a Galran called Throk, and his second-in-command, 'Shiro', who's really a guy named Keats. We don't know if he's a Galra disguised as Shiro, a clone, or another human, but he's got everyone fooled."

"So why didn't Earth end up like Balmera or all the other planets they've taken over?" Allura asked.

"Because Galaxy Garrison," Hunk continued, "was apparently researching something based on Voltron, what, I don't know. What I do know is that the technology was used to create no less than four giant robots, which apparently turned the tide of the initial battle and have been used to shore up Earth's defenses." Motioning to Coran, the orange haired assistant to the Paladins pressed a few buttons on a console, allowing a monitor to spring to life.

"I'll give you all the short version since most of the info is classified. We've already met Vehicle Voltron, which was apparently the first Voltron adaptation to hit the scene. It's composed of three jet fighters and can switch modes for speed, power, and all around fighting."

"Don't forget how it thoroughly defeated all of you," Allura added, her voice showing a clear tone of annoyance."

"Right. In addition to that, there's this one, RAMROD, a bomber, which transforms into a robot with a cowboy motif. It's designed for long distance assault missions but apparently has a pair of robot brass knuckles to use its fists for close range. Next is that machine which tried to chase us through the desert, Vytor. And finally, there's Gladiator Voltron, piloted by Saber Rider.

"Right," Coran added, "I thought Saber Rider was the machine, not the pilot."

"They made another Voltron?" Allura asked, slumping in her chair. "I feel ill."

"Maybe I could help you out with that," Lance suggested. "Check you out, see what's wrong. I'm sure you'll be feeling better when I'm done."

"Now I feel ill and nauseous."

"Wonderful," Keith sarcastically said. "Earth is being defended by giant robots from Japanese cartoons, all of which have way, WAY more firepower than we do."

"That we know about," Shiro objected. "We haven't even scratched the surface of Voltron's potential yet."

"And of course, while we should be on the same side, everyone wants our heads. How do we clear Shiro's name and deal with the Galra on Earth? As much crap as we've been through, I don't like the idea of just leaving the Galra alone here."

"Agreed," Shiro answered. "We can't leave Earth alone on my account. We have to try and fix this."

"And that's," Hunk confessed, "Where I'm fresh out of ideas. Does anyone have an idea what to do?"

Quiet emanated from the group for a minute as everyone pondered how to deal with the issue. Finally, after two minutes of silence, punctuated by Coran's occasional cough, Pidge stood up.

"When we first came back to Earth, scans didn't show a ton of Galra ships, like you'd think there'd be if they were invading the planet, right?"

"That's correct," Coran answered. "Records indicated minimal Galra activity in space. Which makes absolutely no sense given what we've seen."

"Well, that's because they're not hanging out in space waiting for Earth's defense forces to attack them. There's a base on Earth coordinating these assaults, hidden somewhere so that Galaxy Garrison isn't knocking on their doors."

"So instead of trying to find evidence to prove our innocence," Hunk asked, "we just knock down the doors of the Galra base on Earth?"

"Well, finding it should be easy enough, if I can get access to the world's power grids and broadcasting channels, at least to see where energy spikes and broadcasts are being sent to that aren't connected with existing buildings."

"That's great!" Shiro said. "When can you start?"

"That's the problem. I can't do it from the castle. I would need access to a landline or else we would risk exposing ourselves and bringing down the entire Earth Defense Force on us. So we'd have to do it somewhere where they couldn't trace us."

"And where would we do that?" Lance asked. "Do we know anyone, ANYONE who could put us up for a few days, and keep us hidden from the Galra? Last I checked, we don't have any money!"

"Well I could fix that given enough hacking into some bank accounts, but actually, I know someone who we can stay with."

"Really? And who's this angel of mercy that's going to put up four idiots, their hot boss, and her butler?"

* * *

It was good that Mrs. McClane got in when she did, or else dinner would never be ready on time. No, luckily enough, the garage made a much shorter commute to work than her husband's office. The kids were out and about, and all that gave her plenty of time to work on the chicken thighs and steam the rice. Taking a look to ensure that the rue had formed properly in the skillet, she was suddenly interrupted by a ringing of the doorbell.

"Ay, now? He's not supposed to be home for another hour!" she muttered as she went to the door. "Can't even lie down."

Walking through the halls of the two-story home, the woman went to the door, opening it like she had whenever it was her turn to cook.

"You're home…oh my God."

She didn't know who the other four people were with them, but she recognized the man in front of the door immediately.

"Y…you're…"

"Hi Mom," Lance said. "What's for dinner?"

* * *

 _ **Next - A reunion or a powder keg? Lance has some explaining to do, but Fireball and Vytor aren't about to let the Paladins rest for a second!**_

 **A few minor notes this chapter -**

 **1\. Sideburns are the domain of super robot pilots from the 70's and 80's, and are often seen in modern designs when artists want to emphasize hot-bloodedness. A good example is pretty much every single thing Go Nagai has ever made. Even Cutie Honey. Daniel, being in line with that style of hot-blooded warrior, naturally rocks those sideburns.**

 **2\. Lauren Montgomery has gone on record saying that Shiro is the only Paladin with a determined ethnicity, but fanon tends to have Lance as Hispanic. Being Puerto Rican myself...I have no objections to this. This of course, while I gleefully cast aside other fanon.**

 **As always, enjoy and review. Constructive criticism is always welcome.**


	6. Hidden in Plain Sight

There were many things that Mrs. McClane was expecting at the door. Her daughter home early, her husband having returned from work since she wasn't sure if today or tomorrow was his day off from the gym, or perhaps a salesperson of some sort.

What she wasn't expecting was her son. Her son and four other people, a dour looking boy with a mullet, a young girl with glasses and an awkward grin, a portly boy about Lance's age, and a beautiful looking woman with long silver hair, a sharp contrast to her shorter black hair. All of them were dressed in casual clothing, even the woman, who was wearing a black T-shirt with tight jeans.

"Hi Mom, what's for dinner?"

"L…Lance!"

Immediately she went up to Lance and hugged him as tightly as possible, tears welling up in her eyes. "Lance, you're alive!"

"Mom," Lance muttered while hugging her.

Allura couldn't help but be moved by the sight in front of her, reminded of her own father. For all the bravado and swagger the young man tried to portray, it was refreshing to see him act…vulnerable.

"Y…you had me worried sick!"

"Ow! Ow! Ow!"

The soft embrace had soon given way to cries of pain as Lance felt his mother grab a tuft of his hair and twist it, causing him to yelp in pain. Allura then realized exactly where Lance got it from.

"How could you just leave without telling anyone?! Your father and I thought you died when the Garrison declared you AWOL! They said that horrible Shiro killed you when he made his escape!"

"Wait," Keith said. "They said Shiro killed Lance?"

"Yes young man," she replied. "They said he killed three students when he made his escape, Lance McClane, my son, a Pidge Gunderson, and a Tsuyoshi Garett."

"Who's 'Tsuyoshi Garett?'" Pidge asked. Hunk raised his hand with a sigh at the question.

"You didn't think my mom named me Hunk, did you? It was a nickname I got in school because of well, this," he replied, clutching a belly fold for emphasis.

"Wait," Mrs. McClane said. "You mean?"

"Mom," Lance began, "let me introduce you to the group I've been working for. The girl genius here is Katie, but we call her Pidge. Over there is our resident engineer, 'Tsuyoshi', but we all call him Hunk. The beauty to my right is Allura, our boss. And mullet boy over there is Keith. I'm not really sure what he does."

"You don't have anywhere to go, do you?" Mrs. McClane asked. "Come in! I insist you all stay for dinner! I'll get another skillet of chicken going and make some more rice. I have a guest room in the basement if you need to stay for the night."

"I appreciate the offer," Pidge began, "but it's not necessary. I just need your Wi-Fi so I can arrange for a hotel for myself, Allura and Hunk. I don't want to be a bother."

"Oh come now, it's no bother at all!"

"Well, Keith needs a place to stay, since we were only able to find a vacancy for three beds."

Keith stared blankly at Pidge's words, only for Mrs. McClane to embrace the unsuspecting boy with a firm handshake. "Of course he can stay! Now come in, come in, already. I need to make sure we have enough food for everyone."

"You little…"

"Hey," Pidge said, "it's easier if we're all split up."

"You couldn't have Allura stay with me?" Lance asked.

"I wouldn't want your mother to get the wrong idea," Allura answered. "She's making dinner for us?"

"Yeah, chicken with onions, peppers, and rice in sauce," Lance replied with a beaming grin.

"Good to hear. Perhaps maybe we can send some to Sh…"

"Don't say that name!" Lance interrupted, covering Allura's mouth. "As far as we're concerned, we all work for you for a secret space-based program that recruited right out of the Garrison, OK? Shiro attempted to use us before he escaped. We don't know the guy!"

"Well, alright. I just hope that he'sOK back in the castle."

* * *

Shiro groaned as he looked on at Coran's served dinner, the standard green slop not identifiable by human eyes. He had gotten used to the stuff, but normally the other Paladins shared in the misery of eating the unidentifiable blob. Coran, meanwhile, ate with gusto, obliviousness to Shiro's annoyed state.

"Why so down? There's no way anyone is going to spot us out here, and the camouflage ensures we remain hidden from passer-bys. You are perfectly safe till the others figure out the location of the Galra base."

"I should be with the others," Shiro answered. "I don't like the idea of all of them being off on their own especially with everyone looking for them."

"Correction," Coran said, "they're looking for you. Not to mention, you really should put more faith in the other Paladins. They've become quite capable."

"Maybe, but I feel like I need to be there or else I'll never stop worrying about them. To be honest, I feel like a mother hen."

"A hen?"

"Nevermind," Shiro said, taking another bite from the green goo. "It's just frustrating being stuck here."

"Oh, you'll be fine," Coran reassured Shiro. "I'm sure once we capture the fake and show the world what happened we can put an end to all this false accusation business."

"I hope so," was Shiro's reply.

* * *

The warship known as the _Gallant_ sailed through the seemingly endless ocean of the Pacific, keeping tabs on any potential Galra attacks. As it stood, none were detected. The man known as Fireball knew this, sure that the Galra wouldn't be so stupid as to attack so quickly without resupplying from their losses. But rather than rest, he stood over the workstation of a blonde-haired woman who continued to type away on a keyboard despite his presence.

"Fireball, I told you that it's going to be a bit before I can pinpoint where those lions went. Get some rest."

"I can't. I've been thinking."

"That's not usually a good sign. You're paid to pilot Vytor, not to think. Thinking is my job."

"Yeah, but you're not even from Japan," Fireball replied. "Do you resent being stuck on a ship, helping my dumb ass out? I'm sure the other members of the Super Robot Corps wouldn't have you in the middle of the ocean."

"Why would I resent you?" April asked. "You've been nothing but welcoming the whole time. Now go get some rest, Fireball. You're clearly tired, and if I do find Lion Voltron, you'll need to be at your best to fight it and Shiro."

"Right," he said, but not before adding, "You know, you don't have to call me 'Fireball'".

"Oh?" April's voice suddenly raised a decibel, as if her interest was piqued by the declaration.

"No, you can call me by real name. I don't care how embarrassing it is to others, it's ridiculous to keep calling me 'Fireball' after all this time."

"Well then," April said, turning around from her desk, "get some rest, Shinji Hikari."

Although he grimaced at the name he was constantly made fun of about in school, the man smiled before heading upstairs.

"OK, April."

* * *

The reaction from Mr. McClane when he got home was roughly the same as his wife's; a hug, followed by a declaration of anger, followed by an even tighter hug. Having just gotten home from the gym, no one had informed him that his thought to be deceased son was still alive and over for dinner with his friends/co-workers. Particularly, his eye met Allura's, who he greeted with a kiss on her hand.

"My son is quite the lucky one, it would seem."

Allura nodded at the greeting, realizing that Lance's family made a lot more sense to her now.

The reaction from the McClane's daughter Rita was no less emotional, the young girl of twelve embracing Lance before yelling at him for worrying their parents sick.

Soon, after the greetings and shouts had finished, they were all seated at a large table, the chicken and rice served in front of the group. Lance eagerly dug into the meal, savoring every bite. The others joined in, enjoying the rich taste of the dish, a far cry from Coran's usual brand of cooking.

"This is quite good," Allura began. "Where did you learn to cook this?"

"It's an old family recipe my mother taught me," Mrs. McClane answered. "It's perfect for during the week becomes it comes out very flavorful and doesn't take a lot of time to make."

"Your mother must have been quite skilled at cooking," Allura declared.

"Mom's cooking is the best," Rita said, "except when she makes those giblets no one likes."

"She also didn't like being kept out of the loop for over a year."

"Hoo boy," was all Lance could mutter, knowing what she was about to ask next.

"Lance," Mrs. McClane began, "what possessed you to go off on your own for a year with these people, and NOT tell anyone?"

"And," Mr. McClane added, "Why shouldn't I kill you for real?"

"Patricio!"

"You were thinking it."

"Yes, but he should be allowed to explain himself."

"Mom, it's complicated," was Lance's reply before drinking some water from a glass in front of him.

"Complicated? Try me."

"I was recruited, along with my friends here," Lance said. "By Allura. Although I don't think we were her first choices."

Allura said nothing but offered a slight chuckle towards the statement. Getting into the swing of his story, Lance continued.

"We were part of a deep space explorer mission which was intended to find out where the aliens Shiro encountered had gone. We didn't realize a month after we left they would be led to Earth."

"Did you find anything?" Mr. McClane asked.

"Robots, some adorable aliens with deep voices, and aliens with rocks for skin who were all really into deep spiritual hippie crap. It's confusing. But no one nearly as big or as evil as the Galra."

Hunk offered a groan at the mention of the Balmera, before Lance added, "They were all really nice people, though. We've made…a lot of friends out there. And some enemies."

"And why should we believe any of this?" Mr. McClane asked. "No offense to you or your boss, but this story sounds really far-fetched."

Standing up from the table, Lance reached into a suitcase, pulling out his bayard. With a flash, the bayard turned into a large rifle, causing both Mr. and Mrs. McClane to yelp. Rita meanwhile, simply went "Cool!" at the sight.

"It's OK! Mom, Dad, I'm trained on this. This little toy was one of the first things we found on a planet called Arus, along with some intelligent mice."

"Intelligent mice?"

"Friends of mine actually," Allura answered. "It's good to know that we aren't that unbelievable."

"It's hard to argue with…that."

"Oh, did you see what Hunk's turns into?" Lance asked. Expecting Hunk to stand up and demonstrate, he was slightly disappointed to see him still enjoying the chicken.

"What? It'd be rude to stand up without finishing."

Luckily for Lance, Keith and Pidge took the lead, taking out their bayards and forming a sword and odd looking green weapon, respectively.

"See?"

"That doesn't explain why you didn't tell us anything before leaving," Mr. McClaine said. "Or why you're in the area. Are you done with this...job?"

Sitting down, Lance sighed. "I can only stay in town for a few days. After that…I gotta get going again."

"I see."

"But hey, I'm here now, and we've got a few days! I'll show everyone around, we'll catch up, it'll be fine! Right?"

Mr. McClaine nodded. "It is now that we know what's going on."

* * *

Dinner came and went and soon everyone had went off to do their own thing. In particular, Pidge was sitting on the couch in the living room, typing on a laptop. A beep soon followed, and she smiled, Lance walking by as she did so.

"All done!"

"What, you found the Galra base?"

"Hardly. I just got us the money for that hotel. And ordered a limo to take the three of us there to keep up the 'secret organization' approach. Don't worry, it's all being booked to a false account."

"There's still something I don't get, though."

"What, why Keith is staying with you? That's part of my long-term plan to drive you insane…or make you both submissive members of my harem of slaves. Either works."

"What I meant smartass," Lance answered, "is that you didn't have to come to Florida to access a landline. Technically you could have done this from a hotel in India with Wi-Fi, right?"

"Yeah, but last I checked your parents don't live in India, do they?"

Lance looked on at Pidge, stunned at this revelation, unsure of what to say. A few tears began to well up in his eyes.

"Don't get sappy on me, idiot. It doesn't suit you."

Lance ignored this, embracing Pidge in a tight hug, causing the young girl to blush heavily.

"Pidge," Lance said, "thank you. Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me."

"You're welcome," Pidge replied, "you big dummy."

The honking of the limo outside broke the hug, as Pidge, Hunk, and Allura all took their things. "We'll come back tomorrow Lance," Allura said as she loaded her briefcase into the trunk of the limo. "Mrs. McClane, thank you so much for dinner!"

"It was my pleasure!" the woman responded as the trio went into the limousine. Waving as it drove off, Hunk couldn't help but ask a question.

"Are you sure Lance and Keith won't kill each other under the same roof?"

"They'll be fine," Allura answered. "Both of them know how important this is, Mr. Garett."

"Please don't call me that. You sound like my old teacher."

"Well they had better get used to each other," Pidge said. "Once we get to the hotel, I'm going to run the program to pinpoint the Galra's location, but it could honestly take a day or two to sift through all the data and give us an accurate target."

"This hotel does have breakfast, right?" Hunk asked. Pidge smiled.

"Four star restaurant attached to it, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can thank me later."

"Well," Allura said, "if all Earth food is as good as the chicken Lance's mother made, I'll be enjoying this trip quite a bit. Maybe we can even do some more clothes shopping."

"Where did you get that outfit anyway?" Pidge asked.

"When I went to rescue you, I made sure to get some outfits that were suitable for the situation. I didn't realize they would come in handy so quickly."

* * *

The guest room was more than adequate. He wasn't mad about that. The luxury hotel that Pidge had sprung for (using God knows whose money) wasn't really his style anyway. And he was capable of ignoring the idiot most of the time anyway; even if, ironically like Lance, he would rather Allura had been the one staying with him.

No, the problem was that even with the new living situation, there was no way of proving Shiro's innocence until they found where the impostor was hiding. And even if they did that, there was still any number of things that could go wrong, from the double escaping or doing something to ensure that he couldn't be recognized, or even the Earth not believing him. That's what bothered him, even more than being forced to hide out in a Miami suburb, even more than being defeated by Vehicle Voltron.

He was more than sure that Vehicle Voltron and Lion Voltron would be crossing swords again before this was all over. Maybe next time if the others actually helped, they could win.

No, he couldn't blame the others. As much as he wanted to, it was his fault. He was the one who attacked when Shiro told him not to. He was the one who was supposed to control the sword of Voltron. It was his incompetence that caused all this. And he didn't know how to deal with it.

"Hey, mullet boy!"

"What do you want?" Keith asked, sitting on the bed.

"Well, my parents wanted me to make sure everything was alright for you down here. I just wanted to make sure you didn't leave a mess or anything."

"A mess?" Keith asked, putting down the tablet he had been looking at.

"Yeah. They were worried about you being all quiet and broody. I'm used to it, and frankly, I don't care. For all I know you're looking at more pictures of amazon chicks and…"

"I'm just worried," Keith interrupted. "About Shiro, about all of this."

"You blame me, don't you?" Lance asked. "For suggesting a vacation?"

"I blame myself," Keith answered. "For not being strong enough to defeat Vehicle Voltron."

"Dude, we were all piloting it." Sitting down on the bed, Lance looked on at the sullen teen, offering some encouragement.

"Look, I get it, we lost. But you know what? We're alive, Shiro's out of jail, and the Lions are all still in one piece and we're piloting them. All we can do is move on and get ready for another round with these guys so we can clear old man Shiro's good name."

"We shouldn't have lost in the first place," Keith replied. "You've heard Allura, we're only tapping into what, like 5% of Voltron's power? Real Paladins of Voltron wouldn't have fallen against a copy made on Earth. Earth!"

"First," Lance said, "you're selling Earth short. I mean, I come from the Earth, and I'm pretty awesome! Second, that means when we use the other 95%, no one's going to be able to touch us!"

"It's always so easy for you, isn't it?"

"Easy for what?"

Keith scoffed. "Easy to be so optimistic. 'All I need is a bit more effort, and Voltron will defeat Zarkon, Allura will fall in love with me, and I'll be rich!' You really have no idea what you're dealing with, do you?"

"Hey, if I'm not optimistic, who's gonna be? Pidge? You? Someone needs to keep us from turning into a bunch of whiny emo kids. No one wants a bunch of emos saving the universe with their giant robot."

Unsure of how to reply to that, Keith chuckled to himself, causing Lance to grin.

"See? I'm right aren't I? Now come on, stop freaking my parents out. I'll see you in the morning. We're all going to meet up at the beach. It'll be great!"

"Whatever," Keith replied.

He was still chuckling, even as Lance headed upstairs. Turning back to his tablet, Keith finally began to relax.

He was lucky Lance didn't see what was on the tablet, or else he would never have heard the end of it.

* * *

 _Fireball, report to the war room for briefing immediately._

Rising from his bed, Fireball put on his clothes and uniform and headed to the bridge. What he found was a smiling April and a map of Florida in the United States.

"I've traced the lions' signatures to this area here," April began, using a stick to point it out on the projector screen. "It appears that they're hiding out since we haven't had any reports of Robeast attacks or unusual activity."

"Then they must be planning something," Fireball answered, "and if so, I can stop them before they act."

"We have immediate clearance for mobilization. Vytor will be ready for deployment at 1200 hours. The Super Robot Corps have elected to give us the assignment instead of Voltron because we had worked on discovering it."

"Then I will show them that their faith in me is well placed," Fireball said. "So we may have an Earth free from the Galra, I will not fail."

April nodded at the speech, merely going "Good luck…Shinji."

The overly formal speech that Fireball used to psyche himself up for battle was dropped, and he instead responded with a simple "Thanks, April."

Walking back to his quarters to prepare, Fireball began to visualize his opponent. His target was clear. His methods sound.

Takashi Shirogane would die by his sword.

* * *

 _ **Next - A beach trip goes bad in the worst way! When trying to save Shiro and the other Paladins, does Lance's mouth finally go one step too far for him to escape?**_

 **Few notes on this one -**

 **1\. The last names for everyone, as well as Hunk's real name are taken from the old Devil's Due Comic series which gave everyone a full name. Until canon names come along for everyone (such as with Pidge/Katie) those seem to be the best names to use.**

 **2\. This is definitely more character based, a breather after the giant robot battles of the last few chapters. But maybe people are into character based stuff over action based. I'm not sure.**

 **As always, enjoy and review. Constructive criticism and questions are always welcome.**


	7. The Sun and the Sword

Hey, guys, you came!"

As the sun shone overhead, Lance greeted Allura and the other Paladins with a renewed vigor, eager to go from the boardwalk to the beach itself, specifically, a large beach close to his home where the Blue Lion just happened to be resting a few miles off of shore, unbeknownst to anyone. With the Blue Lion safely hidden away, and Pidge's program assured to take several days before it could pinpoint the exact location of Keats' hidden base on Earth, the group had a few days of actual downtime, downtime they intended on taking advantage of.

Keith was nowhere near as bombastic as his partner, but he was doing something that he hadn't done too much of since coming to Earth. He smiled. The McClane family was very friendly and accommodating, fixing the pair breakfast before they headed off to work, both promising to come home early to fix everyone a late dinner of the _pernil_ Lance kept bugging the group about.

With breakfast done, and Pidge's rather generous acquired sum of cash in hand, the pair had headed to a nearby shop to get swim gear, and at Lance's insistence, rented surfboards for all five of the group right before heading off to the beach. Holding them under both arms, he walked up to the group, with Allura looking on at the odd plastic shaped items. To Lance's disappointment, she was wearing a T-shirt and shorts over her bathing suit, something that Pidge and Hunk followed suit with. Hunk held a large umbrella and a cooler, presumably filled with food and drinks for later, while Pidge carried a bag with towels and Allura a few rented beach chairs.

"What are these?" Allura asked, having put down the chairs she was carrying and examining the odd plastic shaped device. "They look like bludgeoning tools. Are you planning on training today?"

"No, no, no," Lance said. "They're surfboards. On Earth, a popular sport in coastal areas is to use these to ride the ocean waves as they come in."

"Really?" she asked, her voice showing some intrigue. "That sounds…interesting."

"It's actually a lot of fun," Hunk said. "My one brother was really good at surfing. Actually did a few contests. I was…okay, but I wouldn't mind doing it again. It's been a long time."

"Can't say I've ever gone surfing," Pidge said.

"Me neither," added Keith.

"Oh, come on guys!" Lance exclaimed. "It's not that hard! It'll be fun!"

Picking up one of the boards in her hands, Allura asked Lance "Will you teach me?" His response was immediate.

"Sure!"

"We should probably find a place to put our stuff first," Hunk said, carrying the cooler down to the beach itself, with the others following suit. As they did so, Keith looked on at the beaming Lance.

"Something tells me you didn't get the surfboards just so we could bond as a team."

"Well I was planning on showing Allura something I could whip your butt at, but honestly, it's just been so long that I miss it."

"Don't get too cocky," Keith snickered, helping Hunk and Pidge set up their spot. "For all you know I can ride circles around you."

"Yeah, sure."

The group set the spot up quickly, and at Lance's insistence, grabbed the surfboards to head down to the beach. Before she did, Allura removed her T-shirt and shorts, causing Lance to stare.

"Wow. That…is a good look for you."

"You think so?" Allura asked, adjusting the top of a silver colored bikini top, the colors and shape accenting her already impressive figure. "I must admit, Alteans didn't do a lot of swimming. The environment was far more…vegetative. You were far more likely to see grass than beaches. The store owner advised me to take this outfit."

"Extremely," Lance said, mentally reminding himself to thank said store owner. As he continued to stare, however, the blue Paladin was elbowed slightly by an annoyed Pidge.

"Don't stare." She too had removed her shirt, revealing a far more modest one-piece bathing suit. Lance couldn't help but scoff at the request.

"Easier said than done."

* * *

Fireball had performed all of his usual rituals before boarding Vytor. He had put on his pilot's suit, looking on at pictures of his family. Finally, he looked at a picture of April. With that done, he walked into the hangar, looking at the massive robot that he had come to see as a suit of armor. When called upon, he would don Vytor and vanquish evil.

And now he was being called upon to battle the evilest man to have walked the Earth in over a hundred years.

 _All systems are green Fire…Shinji,_ announced the voice of April as Fireball continued to adjust the controls on the cockpit, the robot being raised from its below-deck hangar to the surface of the ship. With all the instruments accounted for, the Japanese pilot gripped the controls of the robot.

 _Vytor is ready to launch at your command._

"Ready to go April. Fireball, Vytor, MOVING OUT!"

The roar of jet engines echoed throughout the vicinity as Vytor flew off from the _Gallant,_ a hunter in search of its prey.

* * *

"See? You're getting the hang of it already! Well, some of you are."

Lance looked behind at the others, all of who were having varying degrees of success at trying to master the art of surfing. Hunk, who had some experience with surfing back home, seemed to take to it relatively well, moving through waves at a moderate pace. Pidge, surprisingly, had a remarkable sense of balance for a beginner, moving just carefully enough to avoid falling off. Keith, much to Lance's amusement, found it very difficult to stay standing on the surfboard, stumbling onto his belly to keep from falling in the water like he did the first time he tried.

And then there was Allura.

She was even more of a novice than Keith and Pidge, and yet seemed to take to it naturally, moving through the waves to and fro, spinning up and down.

"Lance!" she exclaimed. "You are right actually, this is quite enjoyable!"

"I told you!" Lance said, moving his surfboard next to Allura's as the pair continued to move through the cresting waves. "Just don't overdo it your first time out!"

"Nonsense!" Allura shouted. "What's the worse that could haaAAA!"

Allura had cut too far in one direction, and what was shaping up to be a fantastic run from a first time surfer ended with her wiping out in the water, forced to swim harmlessly back to shore where the others found her.

"Allura!" Hunk yelled as he swam back towards shore. As he did so, a piece of silver fabric hit his board, an item he recognized all too well.

"Allura," Lance began, "are you O…oh."

"What?" she asked. "What is it? And why is it so cold? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Uh, Princess," Pidge said, pointing towards Allura's chest as the men were too occupied with the view to say anything.

"AAAHHHHHH!"

* * *

"She did not need to hit me over the head."

"You're lucky that's all she did to you," Hunk said, consoling Lance as the Blue Paladin held a chilled can of soda over the bump on his head. Allura had not taken his stares too well and chose to make her displeasure known with the nearest object, the rented surfboard. Luckily it didn't break.

"Well, it's not like I took it off of her! Even I have standards!"

"That was pretty fun," Pidge said, lying back on a chair as she drank a soda from the cooler.

"The surfing or Allura trying to cave my head in?"

"Both."

Lance mumbled but chose to lie back in his chair, letting the cold from the can soothe his bruise. "Hey, where is Allura anyway?"

"She went off with Keith. Presumably to mope about their inability to surf."

"She'll be fine after a few lessons, and with a better fitted bikini top."

Sure enough, a short distance from where the group was, Allura and Keith were sitting down on a pair of towels, getting some healthy distance from Lance and his little bonding activity. They would forgive him, but for the moment, needed some time away from the group. The fact that it happened to be with each other was perfectly coincidental.

"So beaches weren't common on Altea?" Keith asked.

"No, not by where I lived. Of all the things Father and I used to do together, swimming wasn't one we did all that often. And you? You didn't seem very comfortable on that contraption."

"I lived in a landlocked area," Keith replied. "We had a public pool in the neighborhood that all the kids would swim in, but a pool and the ocean are kinda different."

"I can imagine," Allura said. "Still, it's pretty. But there's something I don't get," she added, looking on at the crowds on the beach.

"What's that?"

"Your planet is at war with the Galra, but look around. The beach is full of civilians, men, women, and children. Do they not worry that the Galra could strike any second?"

"Of course they're worried," Keith said. "But that's not going to stop them from living their lives. If humans are good at anything, it's having hope, and trying to ignore the bad."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Depends. Now, I'd say it is. Otherwise, we would be stuck in the castle all day, only going out to fight. We'd be lifeless blobs."

Allura couldn't help but laugh at Keith's statement, prompting him to ask, "What's so funny?"

"Humans are a strange lot, you must admit."

"Yeah, but I'm still one of them. I still hope."

"What do you hope for?"

"You know," Keith said, trying to find the proper words. "Stuff. Like we'll be able to beat Zarkon. We'll be able to stay at home, settle down, do all that family stuff we're supposed to do."

Allura said nothing, but held Keith's hand slightly, causing him to blush. He didn't resist, however.

"Let's just enjoy the time we have here for now. We can worry about everything else later. Although I will ask you to place some more of the sunscreen on my body in a short while, if you don't mind."

"N…not at all."

The pair's respite was short lived, as soon after they lied down, a loud rumbling was heard overhead, waking them.

"What is causing that noise?" Allura asked only to look up at Keith's instance.

"Great. They found us."

"TAKASHI SHIROGANE!" a voice bellowed from the speakers of the massive robot. "I know you are hiding among innocents! Come out coward, so Vytor can give you the quick death you deserve!"

Panic began to spread among the beachgoers as the presence of the giant robot as well as the announcement of Shiro's presence caused people to run in fear; worried a battle would start. Keith and Allura were unsure of what to do, but soon found they didn't need to do anything.

"HEY! You in the tin can! Over here!"

Lance seemed to be doing it for them, waiving his arms up and down in an attempt to signal the pilot of the silver and red robot.

"Who are you? Where is Shiro?"

"I'd like to know that myself!" Lance said. "I've got a bone to pick with him, same as everyone else here! But you oughta cool your jets, literally. You're scaring everyone!"

From the cockpit of Vytor, the pilot began looking through information on the target in front of him. A match was soon found.

"Y…you were arrested along with Shiro! Are you Galra?"

"Hell no!" Lance yelled. "My name is Lance, leader of the Voltron Paladins!"

At this 'revelation', both Keith and Allura stared at each other, their expressions both asking if he really just said what they thought he said.

"Is that so?" the pilot asked. "And that means what to mean, other than your robot was seen helping Shiro?"

"Well 'Shiro' tricked us into working for him. We're deep space explorers who got roped into helping the guy, with no idea of what was going on with Earth! Trust me, if I find the guy, I'll be happy to give him to you! But we're not your enemies!"

The pilot of Vytor remained silent for a few moments, before saying "You escaped a maximum security prison with a weapon that Galaxy Garrison intended to study! Why should I believe anything you say?"

"It's not yours!" Lance yelled. "And if I was working for Shiro, do you think I'd really give a damn about the people here? I want you to leave so you won't hurt anyone!"

"Then you and your friends must surrender to me at once, and turn over your lion robots!"

"Fraid that's not on the table!" Lance said. "You want my lions, you'll have to take them from me!"

"That can be arranged! I can kill you right now!"

"And hurt innocent people?" Lance asked. "Come back here at sunset! I'll bring you the lions, but you'll have to take them from us!"

Allura and Keith were unsure of what to say. Both were thinking the same thing, namely _Lance you complete idiot_ , but as the machine covered to hover, the pilot asked another question.

"Why should I trust you?"

"You know where one of them is! If you want the others, you can either look endlessly or wait till tonight and I'll bring them here!"

The machine hovered, before flying off, its pilot's words echoing.

"Very well Lance, I will meet you back here tonight. No tricks! If you try to escape, the wrath of the entire Galaxy Garrison will fall on this place!"

The robot flew off, confused beachgoers unsure of what to make of it. Meanwhile, Allura and Keith could only stare at Lance dumbfounded.

"Pretty quick thinking, huh?"

* * *

"You said WHAT?!"

Extreme boredom had been replaced by extreme anger for Shiro. Content to mull his time training and looking up information on what he had missed, he was soon informed of the other Paladins' action, particularly Lance's.

"Hear me out. It was not a bad idea!"

"Why wasn't it, SOLDIER?!"

Clearing his throat, Lance replied, "Because as far as Galaxy Garrison is concerned, the five of us are just a bunch of idiots who happen to have a powerful superweapon. You're Public Enemy #1."

"What are you getting at?" Keith asked.

"Easy. If Vytor only thinks that he's dealing with us," Lance said, motioning to Allura and the others, "and not Shiro, then he's probably not going to call in every plane they have to carpet bomb the city. They want Voltron intact and us for questioning. They want Shiro dead."

"OK, there's just one tiny hole in your plan," Shiro said.

"What's that?"

"I'm the Black Paladin. Voltron doesn't go anywhere without me. And from what it sounds like, this Vytor guy is itching for a fight."

"Leave that to me."

* * *

Sunset came as the seemingly empty field roared to life with the sound of jet engines, signaling the arrival of the machine known as Vytor. Its pilot looked around, waiting for his target.

"Well, this is the meeting place. April, make sure they're not trying to slip past me."

 _Five bogeys are inbound Shinji. They're the lion robots._

Good.

 _You don't trust this Lance that he's not working for Shiro do you?_

"I trust him as much as I trust a thief. But he didn't immediately try to attack me, so perhaps there is a chance to resolve this peacefully."

"VYTOR!" shouted the voice of Lance from the blue lion, the smaller lion in the center of the formation. "The lions are here, and as you can see, aren't being used to blow up anything! Now, what do you want?"

"Surrender your machines and turn yourselves in," the pilot answered.

"I can't do that! Not until I find Shiro!"

"If you will not turn in yourselves to the authorities, then I will have to bring you in by force!"

"You want to fight, huh samurai? Well, I'll oblige you! Allura, you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Allura looked behind her at the seating situation. Namely, she sat hunched over in front of a Shiro wearing all black, including a black ski mask, so as not to attract undue attention. The last thing the group needed was an errant signal showing Shiro and revealing their ruse.

"Allura," Shiro began, "remember; say whatever orders I tell you to the others. All this stuff will make sure no one picks up my voice, so you'll need to give out my orders to the team."

"Of course."

"Alright then!" Lance shouted. "FORM VOLTRON!"

* * *

"Viceroy, my plan worked perfectly, as you can see."

Viceroy Throk was intrigued by the sight in the control room, particularly the image from overhead on the massive monitor. It showed Voltron preparing to battle one of the members of the Super Robot Corps, the same way Keats' plan had called for.

"How are we seeing this?"

"My Robeast Draco-1, 2, and 3. They're viewing the battle, and will intercede if the time is right."

"When would the time be right?"

"To accentuate Shiro's guilt or to prevent Voltron from falling into the hands of the humans of course. But for now, I'm going to sit back and watch as they tear each other apart looking for me."

"I believe I'll join you. After all, the outcome of this battle will determine if we move forward with the Draco Robeasts or move on to a new model."

"I love Draco," Keats said, "but he isn't my masterpiece. I'm still working on that with the combat data acquired from the various Voltrons."

* * *

Standing in front of Vytor was a robot of equal height, the machine that Galaxy Garrison had referred to as "Lion Voltron", a name that would obvious to anyone when they looked at the machine's hands. Observing it, Fireball couldn't help but scoff.

"So this is the famous Lion Voltron that Earth's Super Robot technology is based off of? I must say, it looks like quite the disappointment."

"Voltron is the greatest weapon the universe has ever known!" shouted the voice of Allura. "You underestimate it at your own peril!"

"Allura, calm down," Shiro said, his voice hushed and muted. Remembering what Lance had said earlier, she first deactivated her signal before turning around and going "Sorry."

"It's fine. Just keep the channel clear unless I say otherwise."

"Very well then," Fireball said. "STAR NOVA BARRAGE!"

Expecting Vytor to draw a sword and then engage Voltron in close-quarters combat, Shiro became nervous when he saw numerous panels open on both the upper and lower parts of the armor, revealing missile batteries. Vytor meanwhile, had drawn its cannon, holding it in front of the machine.

"We can't close the distance in enough time!"

"Move!" Shiro yelled a command that Allura soon echoed.

"FIRE!"

As Voltron attempted to move out of the way, missiles and a cannon barrage began approaching the machine even as the Paladins did their best to dodge and dart. However, they soon found the missiles coming in too close for comfort.

"Pidge! I need a shield!" Lance yelled.

"OK, just keep them off me for a bit…"

 **BOOM!**

* * *

 _ **Next - What is the fate of the Paladins against Fireball and Vytor? And just what is Keats' angle observing the fight?**_

 **One minor note: the Allura scene is not me being throwing it in just because, but rather a homage to a similar scene in the original edited Voltron. Yes, Voltron edited death and blood but left in the princess losing her top. You don't see anything, but you'd think that would have to go.**

 **As always, enjoy and review. Big thanks to everyone who's liked or favorited it so far.**


	8. Conviction of the Blade

The missiles were set to impact, likely in enough quantity and force to completely destroy Voltron and all its pilots along with it. Pidge saw it coming and knew there was nothing she could do about it.

Unless.

"Hold on!"

With a quick press of a button, the shield began to form, but rather than wait for it to form in the arm of Voltron, Pidge pressed a secondary button, pushing the shield forward. The lions weren't the same as a fighter jet, the machines responding to mental commands as much as physical button presses, but this was unorthodox even by her standards.

 **BOOM!**

Several feet in front of Voltron, the missiles exploded against the shield, protecting the robot itself but leaving the shield charred on the ground, beaten and battered.

"That was close!" Hunk said.

"Close nothing!" Pidge shouted back. "The shield is out of commission for now and we don't have the firepower to compete with that thing!"

Looking at the controls in front of him, Lance grimaced. As much as he loved the Blue Lion, she was not the most intuitive craft to operate.

"I'm looking! I'm looking! We stick in the bayard for weapons, right? Well, what weapon could we make that could actually be useful here?"

"FIRE!"

Another barrage of missiles interrupted Lance's train of thought as the others prepared to move out of the way. Keith felt equally as frustrated with the way the battle was going.

"Yeah, it'd be easy if we could just yell stuff and it happened!"

"Well, what would we yell?" Hunk asked.

Keith was dumbfounded at the question but began to look over his control panel, hoping for something, anything to help him out. Suddenly, an idea, no, a phrase formed in his brain, although he had no idea how it got there.

"FIRE TORNADO!"

From Voltron's right hand, a wide stream of flame emerged, detonating the missiles before they could hit the robot. Keith was stunned but had no time to celebrate as the form of Vytor began to close in rapidly.

"TAKE THIS! SUNFIRE SWORD!"

 **CLANG!**

With amazing speed, the blade of Vytor was drawn to fell Voltron but instead found itself impacted with Voltron's own sword, the two robots locked in a test of strength.

"Keith!" Allura shouted. "How did you do that?"

"I…I don't know!" he said. "I just…Red told me…"

"FOCUS PEOPLE!" Lance yelled, causing everyone to concentrate on the test of strength with the enemy robot.

* * *

"That's strange," Throk said.

"What is strange?" asked Keats.

"None of our information concerning Voltron's previous battles indicated that it had a flamethrower."

"Then my theory is correct," Keats replied, chuckling to himself.

"Theory?"

"Voltron's greatest weapon. It is not the sword or the shield, or the cannon. It's the machines, the lions themselves, and their empathic nature. A technology lost with the ancient Alteans, but one that the Earthlings seem to have found a way to duplicate."

"What?" Throk asked. "I don't understand. I thought Voltron could only summon a set amount of items from each Bayard."

"That's because" Keats replied with a smile, "you weren't created to be the perfect military mind the way I was."

"I had you commissioned, Keats. Created to break the will of the humans. Do well to remember that," Throk shot back, before taking a sip of his wine glass.

"My apologies. But your reports are short sighted. Think of Zarkon's Black Bayard. He can make it into any weapon he chooses. By the same nature, Voltron draws upon the same empathic energy. It can create any weapon it chooses so long as it has the power to do so. That's why they appear out of nowhere. It just so happens that the Paladins have a favored form for their weapons, so it is used more often."

"You were able to analyze all that from the sudden use of a flamethrower?"

"Let's keep watching," Keats replied with a smile. "I need to have my theory confirmed before the Draco Robeasts make their move."

* * *

"We don't have to do this!" Lance yelled. "You can still walk away!"

"I, Fireball, never run from evil!" The last remark was punctuated with another slash of the long katana in Vytor's arm, which Voltron deflected with a sword swipe of its own. Observing the battle from his cockpit, Shiro began thinking of a strategy.

"We have to keep this battle at close range or else we'll never get the advantage. Allura, tell the others to see if there's a way we can knock this thing off its feet!"

"Paladins," Allura began, "is there a way we can compromise the enemy's footing?"

"Not from what I can see!" Hunk shouted. "Those swipes are too quick for a kick to come in between!"

"Maybe we don't have to kick it!" Lance said. "If Keith can summon up a firestorm, can I…come on Blue, tell me!"

"Is he OK?" asked Pidge.

"ICE STORM!"

The loud cry from Lance's cockpit answered the question, rattling the other Paladins as a stream of ice emerged from the foot of Voltron, specifically, the Blue Lion. The stream covered the legs of Vytor, encasing it in ice.

"Great! Now let's…"

"STARFLAME BLADES!"

Blades fired out from the arms of Vytor, driving Voltron back even as its opponent remained frozen to the ground. The shots scratched and nicked the robot, but none were able to directly connect.

"Did you think that I wouldn't be ready for that same trick a second time, Paladin?"

The ice quickly began to melt, with steam emerging from the legs of Vytor.

"Hunk, now!" Allura yelled.

"Right!"

In Voltron's arms, the cannon of Yellow Lion replaced the sword of Red, which wasted no time firing, hitting Vytor dead center and knocking it down.

"Direct hit!"

"Ugh, perhaps you are not as weak as your battle with Voltron Force made you seem!"

Standing his machine back to its feet, Fireball added, "But I am not beaten! Prepare yourselves, Paladins!"

"Oh yeah?" Pidge taunted. "You and what army?"

"Very."

"Good."

"Question."

In front of Voltron no longer stood one Vytor, but three. Then five. Then two dozen scattered around Voltron.

"We're surrounded!" Keith shouted.

"No," Allura said, relaying Shiro's messages. "This is merely an illusion. Only one of them is real."

"Well they're real enough to throw off our sensors," Pidge said.

"We do have a plan, right?" Hunk asked. "Keith? Allura? Um, Lance?"

Silence permeated the radio as Hunk realized the others were all focused on a plan. Looking at the machines surrounding Voltron, their swords drawn, everyone knew that only one was the real enemy. The question, of course, was which one.

He also remembered the common words of Allura and Shiro when piloting Voltron. The Paladins were five pieces acting as one. There could be no hesitation in what they did; no disagreement or they would surely fall. Soon, a cry echoed from every single image around them.

"STARFIRE SLASH!"

 **CLANG!** **CRACK!**

One swing of the sword followed and soon, there was only one Vytor, which fell to its knees, a servo in its legs disabled, unable to draw its sword.

"No, move! Move!" Fireball yelled, but it was for naught.

"You're beaten," Lance said, the sword of Voltron pointed towards its opponent. "This is over."

"You intend to kill me?"

"No," Lance said. "We're on the same side, even if it doesn't look that way. We should be allies. The fact is, I don't want to kill you, I want to find Shiro, same as you do."

"If that is true, then we have a common goal. There is a conviction in your blade, Lance. Whether it is for good or evil I cannot say yet."

 _Excellent work, my Paladins!_

"What the…Keats?"

Emerging from the sky were three Robeasts resembling dragons. They lowered themselves to the ground, hovering menacingly over Voltron and Vytor. The Paladins tensed themselves, ready to move at any moment.

 _You can drop the act! It's me, Shiro!_

Hearing the smug, overacted voice of the fake made Shiro bite his tongue. He had to avoid revealing himself, lest the issue turn and become infinitely more complicated.

 _Your lure of this man was perfect, my Paladins. Now please step aside. I'm going to enjoy this._

"B…Bastard!" was all that Fireball could say. "I will not be beaten here!"

 _Always full of fire, eh, Captain Hikari? Well, you've interfered with my plans for the last time! Now prepare to meet that glorious end you kept promising me!_

Fireballs launched from the mouths of all three dragons, targeted directly at Vytor. But much to the surprise of Fireball, Voltron stepped in front of the fireballs, taking the blow.

"Wha?"

"You're not going to butt in and frame us again!" Lance yelled. "Not after last time!"

"Is this a wise choice of action?" Allura asked. "I don't know how much we can take!"

"We'll be fine! We're still standing! He's not!"

 _Step aside, my Paladins!_ Keats asked between gritted teeth.

"Step aside for this!" Pidge yelled. "LASER MAGNUM!"

From the mouth of the Green Lion emerged a six-barreled cannon, which began firing at a rapid pace, knocking down the dragon Robeasts from the air. Seeing the emergence of the weapon, Allura could only think of one thing.

"Oh no, they're all yelling now!"

"It works," Shiro responded with a chuckle.

"It's ridiculous!"

"We'll discuss it later. We need to focus now! Tell Hunk to bring in the cannon! Finish the Robeasts off!"

"Hunk, bring in the cannon! Finish the Robeasts off!"

"Right!"

The form of the heavy cannon appeared on Voltron's shoulder, blasting two of the dragon Robeasts into scrap metal while the third dodged. It appeared overhead; ready to unleash a barrage of flame, when a group of errant missiles fired, destroying the dragon.

"There is your glorious death!"

Though unable to stand, Vytor angled itself slightly, firing upon the other Robeast. With the threat eliminated, the pilot turned its attention to Voltron.

"You saved me. Why?"

"Because we're all on the same side," Allura answered. "How many times must we tell you?"

"Then my blade truly was misguided today."

"Well," Keith asked, "now what?"

"I cannot promise Galaxy Garrison will stop looking for you," Fireball answered, "but I will do my best to let you work for our common goal of stopping Shiro. If the time comes where we meet again, you will have my blade by your side."

"I appreciate that," Lance said.

"You may want to leave the area tomorrow, though. Galaxy Garrison will probably begin looking for you. I will stall as long as I can, but do not linger."

"Sure," Lance said, moving Voltron to fly away, "right after I take care of something."

The lions flew off, as Fireball clicked a button on his controls.

"April, is the tracker I put on them working?"

 _It's operational Shinji. Wherever they go, we'll know. Did you throw the fight to get that on them?_

"I wish I had that excuse, but no. I was beaten fairly by an opponent who desperately wanted to prove their innocence. But even if the blade of the Voltron Paladins has the conviction of justice, I still don't completely trust them."

 _Why am I not surprised? Anyway, I'm having a maintenance unit come out to you to repair your systems. With that done you should be able to return to the Gallant._

"Thank you."

Unaware of Fireball's tracker, Voltron began heading back towards the Castle of Lions, the group expressing a sigh of relief that they had won the day and possibly gained an ally in the process.

"Lance?" Allura said. "I'm supposed to tell you that if you ever pull a stunt like that again, you will regret it."

"It worked out in the end, didn't it? Things would have gotten a lot worse if I had to explain Shiro's presence. Although something tells me we haven't seen the last of Keats."

"Doubtful," Hunk said. "He was probably controlling the Robeasts remotely, like the other ones we've run into. None of them have needed a pilot."

"Still," Pidge said. "If we leave tomorrow, the program won't be complete. As it stands, by morning we'll most likely have it narrowed down to four or five targets."

"Better than getting caught and not being able to investigate any targets," Hunk said.

"True. So, where to next?"

"We can decide on that in the morning," Lance said. "There's one more thing we all have to do first. Well, all of us except Shiro."

"He doesn't appreciate being left out you know," Allura noted.

"Tell him it's for his own good."

* * *

"GAH! Why would they do that? They were supposed to flee and then engage the Draco Robeasts! Not take the blast meant for Vytor!"

"You seem upset, 'Regent'. Don't tell me this little setback annoys you that much."

Looking on at the static-filled screen, Keats balled his hand into a fist, shaking it for a moment before he composed himself. Smiling, he began to walk up to a control panel and inputted commands, revealing footage from the battle.

"Even if they have gone, shall we say, 'off the message', they did confirm my earlier theory about empathic weaponry. That machine gun was not present until called upon."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that now I know about Voltron's power, I can copy it. I don't need a Bayard to do it, I just need to duplicate its empathic connection to the pilots as well as re-create the energy it draws upon to create constructs."

Throk looked on at the scheming Keats, and then walked out of the room, but not before saying, "Don't forget that we are here to conquer this planet first, and then we can find its secrets. We need Voltron, but we need Earth under our control to keep the secrets to Voltron from falling into the hands of the Galra's enemies."

"I won't," Keats replied.

Once he was out was the door, Throk took a sip of wine from his glass while thinking of what he was just told.

"Yes, we will have Voltron. And I will have the weapon even Emperor Zarkon fears. With Voltron under my control, the Galra Empire will be mine to do with as I see fit."

Unbeknownst to the Viceroy, once Throk had left, Shiro shared similar thoughts, talking aloud.

"No, I won't forget why we're here. To control a power that could subjugate the entire universe. Which begs the question Viceroy, why would I give it to you?"

Keats chuckled to himself as he continued to work on the blueprints for his prototype, the new discovery canceling out his earlier anger and making him more excited for what was to come."

"When my creation is complete, Throk, neither you, nor the Paladins of Voltron, or ever Emperor Zarkon, will see it coming."

* * *

 **DING DONG!**

The sound of the doorbell rang through the McClane's household as Mrs. McClane went over to answer the door. When she realized it was her son, she ran up and hugged him.

"Mom, it's OK, really."

"OK? I saw you on the news standing in front of a giant robot! Did you…"

"I told you, Mom. I'm not trying to get anyone hurt. Hell, I think what I did may have saved a lot of people."

The group soon invited themselves in, at which point Lance breathed heavily. He knew what he had to say, even if he didn't want to say it so soon.

"Mom, I'm going to be leaving tomorrow morning."

"W…what? Again?"

"Yeah. The group here has found a new lead on something very important, and we need to make sure that we find out what it is before Shiro can strike again. But I couldn't leave without saying goodbye this time."

Mr. McClane looked on at his son and offered him an embrace.

"Try to keep in contact with your mother, OK Lance? Let her know that you're safe."

"I will Dad."

"Well then," Mrs. McClane said, "now that we know you'll be able to call, how about we all sit down for dinner?"

Lance eagerly sat down as the plate of roast pork shoulder with yellow rice and vegetables was placed in front of him, the pork shoulder, or _pernil_ looking as succulent as he remembered. The others, nowhere near as familiar with the meal, sat down at a more relaxed pace. After having heard Lance hype the meal up for so long, they weren't surprised to see him enjoying it with gusto.

"Oooh," Lance moaned, savoring the flavor of the meat on his tongue. "I missed this so much."

"What did I tell you about getting sappy?" Pidge said.

"No, try this. You'll understand."

Obliging, Pidge took a bite of the juicy meat in front of him, smiling at the flavorful dish and its taste.

"This is pretty good."

"It should be," Mr. McClane said. "It's been marinating all day."

"It certainly shows," Allura said, having a bite of her own. "This meal means a lot to Lance, doesn't it?"

"We would always make it during family gatherings," Mrs. McClane responded. "I guess after a while _pernil_ became synonymous with family for Lance."

"It helps that my wife cooks the stuff really well," Mr. McClane added.

"Yeah," Keith said, holding a piece of dried skin "but what about this hard shell stuff? Feel like I'm going to break my teeth on it."

"Oh, that? That's the skin of the pork shoulder. It's admittedly an acquired taste. And kind of a pain to get all nice and crunchy without it being too chewy or too hard to bite into."

"I like it," Hunk said. "Is there anymore?"

The conversation soon shifted to more casual subjects, as the Paladins, aware that they would be returning to their mission tomorrow, did their best to relax and enjoy the more casual atmosphere.

* * *

"Well, Shiro, we should be on our way tomorrow morning so I'll ensure everything is ready bright and early. Now do eat up. Considering what we're looking for, you do want to keep your strength up, right?"

"Right," Shiro said, stabbing the piece of green goo with his spoon. Did the others REALLY need to send pictures of what they were eating?

* * *

 _ **Next - The quest for the truth leads to a journey to the east! What is Keats' plan for Earth? And even if they find out, can the Paladins expose the truth, or will another interested party stop them first?**_

 **Few notes for this chapter -**

 **1\. Just about all of Voltron's attacks are taken from classic Voltron's list of moves in Super Robot Wars W, where it (or more accurately GoLion) was a playable unit, fighting alongside the likes of GaoGaiGar, Tekkaman Blade, and the cast of Full Metal Panic.**

 **2\. The pernil scene was researched by my...actually cooking one. Specifically, using my mother's recipe. I won't bore you with the details but it is quite good with yellow rice.**

 **As always, please enjoy and review. Comments and criticism are always welcome.**


	9. Into the Den of Dragons

**BOOM! BOOM!**

"They're really going at it over there!" Hunk said. "Are you sure no one's going to notice the five giant robot lions trying to sneak past?"

"As long as we stay low and stick to the forested area, we should be fine," Shiro said. "Besides, as it stands both sides seem busier with each other."

'Both sides' in this case were platoons of Galra tanks and tanks with the Red Army emblem. Remaining hidden in a separate patch of forest, the Chinese machines engaged a Galra supply line leading to a violent battle as soldiers from both sides joined the fray.

"You were studying the area, Shiro," Pidge said. "Do you know what's around here?"

"I wish I did. China's government isn't technically part of Galaxy Garrison, and while they're allied with the Garrison, the information they've given out has been extremely limited."

"And of course," Hunk said, "we had to come here…"

* * *

 _15 hours earlier._

"So, Pidge, what have you got for us?"

Having departed from Florida, the group has re-convened at the main hall of the Castle of Lions to discuss their next move. Shiro, reading from notes on a monitor, began giving a briefing.

"Well, we found four potential signals. One's on a small island 123 miles off the coast of Hawaii, one is smack dab in the middle of the Sahara, one is in former Siberia, and one is in the middle of China."

"Hawaii?" Hunk said. "Let's go there!"

"What are the odds what we're looking for is in Hawaii?" Shiro asked, his voice stern and unrelenting. He seemed to dread the idea of being cooped up in the castle while the others ran free.

"Minimal. Hawaii was attacked in the first few months of Galra invasion, but they were driven back after most of the smaller islands were scorched by Galra battlecruisers. The largest island remains inhabited while the smaller ones are being redeveloped."

"But…" Hunk said.

"And the others?"

"Intelligence concerning China, however, limited, reports a mobile command center that looks to be the size of about four city blocks. The Galra have been using it to field their forces across mountainous terrain. From what I understand, the command center has really amazing countermeasures to being seen, so spy satellites can't find it. Apparently, the Chinese government has been hunting the thing for months in the middle of the ground campaign."

"Then that's where we're headed."

"But…guys…"

"No buts. Keith, work on an infiltration plan since we'll need to enter the command center to get the information we need."

"Got it," Keith said, before resuming his viewing of a tablet.

"Lance, research any Robeast sightings in the area just in case."

"Will do."

Pidge, see what you can do about finding us a vector to come in at where we won't alert Red Army forces or the Galra. We need to do this quietly."

"Sure thing."

"And Hunk, make sure everything on the Lions is good to go with Coran. Voltron took a decent amount of damage fighting Vytor and the Lions will probably need some additional maintenance from us."

Sighing, Hunk let out a dejected "OK," and headed to the hangar.

* * *

"They're occupied with each other," Keith said. "Where's the big one?"

Moving slowly so as not to attract attention, the lions began to make their way through the forest, the opposing forces of the Galra and Chinese too occupied with each other to notice the lion robots walking through.

"No sign of the big guy just yet," Hunk said. "Not that we're going to approach it in the lions. If we want proof of what they're doing…"

"We'll need to board on foot," Shiro noted. "Meaning finding an appropriate ambush point where we can board, as well as somewhere to park the lions where they won't be found that easily." A second voice soon interceded from Keith's lion.

"I suppose that's why I'm cramped in here again, isn't it?"

"Allura, you know what we're dealing with better than we do, even after all this time. Not to mention…"

"We could use a super-strong Altean to throw around Galra if things go south," Lance said. "I'm sure Keith agrees with me."

"Are you still on that?!"

"On what?" Allura asked.

"Nothing!" Keith shouted. "Absolutely nothing. Besides," he continued, trying to change the subject, "if there's a supply line here, then we're on the right track," Keith suggested. "We should keep an eye out."

"Agreed," responded Shiro.

* * *

From underground, particularly what remained of a small village, it emerged. A purple machine that resembled a spider but was utterly massive in scale, rose from its burrowed hiding spot underground and began moving forward. Inside, a Galra officer wearing a spiked helmet spoke to a monitor broadcasting a transmission from the opposition.

"Amalgamous! I'm getting tired of your continued attacks on my forces! All I want before I stop razing your cities is a meeting with the actual leaders of your government! They insult me by putting a machine to speak with me!"

From the monitor emerged the image of a robot, humanoid in shape, but with a blank face and a blue, metallic body. The machine was quick to address the Galra commander.

"I represent the amalgamated views of the entire party! Any act of surrender on your accord may be done through me, Commander Cossack!"

"Why would I surrender to you, machine? You're losing this war! And your pathetic attack is about to be wiped out! Launch the Robeast!"

* * *

A beeping emerged on Pidge's monitor, causing the young woman to smile.

"We have sight on the command center. It's massive. Looks like it's where the map said a small village was."

"Was," Shiro emphasized. "Pidge, calculate where that thing is going. Let's get into position."

* * *

Unbeknownst to the Galra, the Red Army, or even the Voltron Paladins, there was another man in the forest with a similar objective, wearing blue armor with a jetpack that covered his entire body save his face. Observing the rising of the arachnid-shaped command center through his binoculars, he couldn't help but let out a whistle.

"Saber Rider, you getting this?"

 _I am Colt, but are you sure this is where Shiro is hiding?_

"That I don't know. But this is where the tracker on Lion Voltron led me, and I don't think it's coincidental."

 _Or they could be just as blind as you are. Just remember the kind of trouble we could all get in if the locals capture you._

"I know about the border treaty, Saber. You don't need to remind me. Besides, I found a blind spot on the north side where they won't notice me."

 _Keep in contact Colt._

"Will do," the man replied before running to get into position.

* * *

"It's moving!"

Having abandoned their lions for the moment, the six saw the enormous leg of the command center standing still for the moment. However, the machine itself began to rumble, opening a hatch from which a comparatively small Robeast emerged, even if said Robeast was still taller than most buildings.

"Now's our chance! Everyone up!"

Jetpacks on the armor of the Paladins fired, with Allura riding on the back of Hunk, the strongest member of the team physically. As they climbed up, they noticed the Robeast moving out to meet the tank battalion.

"They're going to get wiped out!" Hunk shouted.

"Not our problem," Shiro replied. "Something tells me that they're not as defenseless as they seem, or they wouldn't have bothered with this attack in the first place."

Sure enough, four jet fighters emerged from overhead, blasting the Robeast. Allura had a sickening feeling of what was about to happen next.

"You know, Altea only needed to make one Voltron. It seems now that every human nation wants a giant robot warrior of their own."

"I don't think anyone thought of making a giant robot before the Galra showed up," Hunk replied.

Sure enough, the four jets began to twist and contort themselves, one turning into a pair of lets, one turning into a body and torso, one splitting in half to form the machine's arms, and one forming its head. The massive robot stepped in front of the tanks it was protecting, charging the Robeast head on.

"Well, that's our distraction," Shiro said. "We need an entrance before they realize what's happening."

Without needing a cue, Hunk pulled out his bayard, transforming it into its machine gun mode, and began firing on the ground. A hole large enough to jump into was soon created, as the group entered the command center, particularly an empty hallway.

"Well, we're here," Lance said. "Um, now what?"

"We look for Keats," Keith said. "If he's not here, maybe we can figure out where he is or what the Galra are up to."

"This place is massive," Pidge said.

"I know," Shiro replied, "which is why we're splitting into teams. Pidge, you're with Lance."

Lance stared at the brunette, before shrugging his shoulders. "Sure."

"Hunk, you're with me."

"Got it, boss," Hunk said, holstering his bayard.

"And Keith, you're with Allura."

"W…what?" protested Lance. "Why does mullet head go with Allura?"

"Because all the teams have people with complimentary abilities. Maybe if you thought with your brain you'd realize that."

"That works," Keith and Allura said in unison, causing Lance to groan slightly. Pidge snickered at this.

"You think this is funny, don't you?"

"Yes, yes I do."

Sighing, Shiro shouted, "Let's move!" which snapped the Paladins to attention. Everyone began running off in separate directions through the massive complex hoping to find something that would provide a clue to theGalra's plan, or proof of Shiro's innocence.

* * *

Watching the battle emerge on his monitor, Cossack appeared unimpressed.

"So you've made another Voltron knockoff like the rest of the Earth's nations. I am not worried in the slightest. Now, again, Amalgamous. Your surrender, and a meeting with the members of your party in person! Those are my terms!"

"Ah yes, because your Robeasts are as terrifying as the battlecruisers you tried to bombard our nation with. Oh, wait, they were turned into radioactive ash by our great nation! And if you can see, your Robeast is clearly losing!"

Cossack said nothing, instead answering with a growl. He was so preoccupied with the image in front of him that he completely neglected the two notifications showing hull breaches, even if they were comparatively minor.

* * *

"So why am I stuck with you again? This is part of your plan to drive me insane, isn't it?"

Walking through the hallways of the command center, doing their best to avoid Galra patrols, Lance attempted to pass the time the best way he knew how. Complaining to Pidge.

"Not this time," Pidge replied, looking over a holographic map emanating from the right arm of her armor. "We were specifically paired in a way to compliment each other's strengths. You're a rifleman paired with a computer expert in case I need to access a console. Hunk's a heavy machine gunner covering Shiro who can't punch anyone from across the room using his arm. And Allura has knowledge of alien technology to help out Keith, who…works well with her."

"That's your reasoning," Lance said. Pidge offered a smile but quickly turned all business.

"We can talk about this later. I'm picking up readings in the next room. Looks like a big open space, consistent with a hangar."

Looking around for guards, Lance failed to notice any approaching, meaning it was safe to go in.

"Top or bottom?"

"Looks like a bridge on the upper level going over the hangar. We'll be spotted pretty easily if there're guards there."

"I'll take a peek then."

Opening the door, Lance looked around, prepared to fire if he saw any guards. To his relief, none were patrolling the bridge, an enclosed structure with windows allowing pedestrians to look at the hangar below. What was more interesting was what was resting in said hangar.

"Pidge, you had better come take a look at this."

Nodding, Pidge entered the bridge and looked out the windows, staring heavily.

"Is that what I think it is?"

* * *

You know, there's no guarantee Keats or whatever his name is here."

"Even so, something this huge has been kept hidden from Earth's forces for a reason," Shiro responded. While he was sympathetic to Hunk's plight, business came first.

"I'm sure there's the same about whatever was off H…"

"Why don't you just come out with it, soldier?" Shiro said, his voice firm and authoritative. "You're angry Lance got to see his family and you didn't. But you're better at hiding it."

Hunk grimaced at the second time in so many days Shiro referred to someone as "soldier", presumably a way for his mind to deal with the chaos by installing discipline into the situation at hand.

"No, I'm just better at not being a primadonna actor the way Lance is about…everything," Hunk answered, keeping his gun at the ready in case any guards approached. A group was present on the opposite side of the hallway, but rather than blast them, there was enough time to hide in a corner out of sight.

"It wasn't ideal, I know. If you want to blame someone, blame Pidge for suggesting we make camp in Florida. And don't even tell me you had it rough. I heard all about your little beach trip from Allura! You were off at the beach while I was stuck all day in the castle."

"What, are you mad you got left behind?"

"I'm mad some hammy nutcase clone or robot double impersonated me and is pretending to be me while directing a war against Earth!" Shiro snapped. "Next room!"

Running past the guards, who had walked past where the Paladins were, the two jumped through the door into an empty room. Hunk, however, wasn't done with the subject at hand.

"I don't see how that's my fault."

"It's not," Shiro answered with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry. I just want to find proof as quickly as possible so we can show Keats is a fraud and drive him off Earth!"

Looking up at the room they had stumbled into, Hunk gasped. "Well, I have some good news."

Shiro stared, mouth agape, as he looked on at the contents of the room.

"I think this is proof that they could duplicate you."

* * *

The area around the room was crawling with guards, both actual Galra, and robots. For Keith and Allura, this meant that they had struck gold. Doing their best to avoid the guards, the pair soon found themselves in a room with a large amount of monitors and three guards, busy facing said monitors rather than the door. Motioning to Allura to be quiet, Keith drew his sword and raised his fingers, showing one finger, then two, then three.

Upon the third finger being shown, the pair quickly subdued the guards, Keith with his sword, and Allura with sheer brute strength, grabbing two of them in chokeholds until they passed out unconscious. With the men dispatched, Allura couldn't help but notice something strange.

"You're turning as red as your lion. Keith, are you blushing?"

"Is now the best time to discuss this?"

"So perhaps Lance was right," she said, chuckling to herself as she began to look over the monitors for evidence of the Galra's activities. Placing the other Galra soldier in a corner where he would not be seen upon first glance, Keith sat down as well, groaning.

"What did he tell you?"

"He told me that you had a…preference with females. In fact, he told everyone, usually as a means to mock you when you left the room after arguing with him."

Keith snickered. "You don't believe him, do you?"

"I think it's irrelevant if it doesn't affect how you perform in battle. Now, tell me if you see anything."

"Well, here's the hangar and…whoa. Is that what I think it is?"

* * *

Looking over the bridge, Pidge and Lance saw the five dragon-shaped Robeasts, all remarkably similar to the ones that they had encountered in Florida. Each seemed to have a different colored head, separating them from each other. But that wasn't what drew their attention.

What drew their attention was what rested in the center of the hangar as if to scream out how expensive and valuable it was.

It was a robot lion, completely black in color with metallic wings stylized after a bird, and a metallic black mane resembling a male lion rather than the female lions of Voltron. It stood proudly among the dragons as if to say that it was the next step in the development of what the five dragons promised.

"A robot lion?" Lance asked.

"We need to get down there," Pidge said. "Whatever that thing is, it can't be good."

 **WHIRRR**!

The pair was set to move when the door opened, revealing a patrol ofGalra robots. Panicking, with nowhere to hide, Lance readied his rifle.

* * *

"A robot lion? What are the Galra planning?"

"Something tells me this is less than Galra's doing than Keats'," Keith answered, pressing a button on his armor. "I'm going to record all of these feeds, or else no one is going to believe us!"

"You mean the way no one believes your denial about…"

"Do we have to discuss this now?"

"Sorry," Allura replied. "Just trying to make conversation. But perhaps that's why you tend to be so…shielded."

"Well," Keith answered as he looked at his armor, ensuring the machinery would record the camera feeds, "it's not like he has any proof." Allura only responded with a smug grin, causing Keith to turn redder.

"What, what do you know?"

"I know I found where Hunk and Shiro are," Allura said, tilting her head to the side with a smile. "But what have they found?"

* * *

The beings that stood before Shiro and Hunk looked human, or at least resembled crude facsimile of a human. Their faces appeared to be plastic over metallic shells as if to suggest that they weren't completed as of yet. Their chests clearly were made of metal, shining heavily.

"What are they?"

"I think they're supposed to be humans, but they're not ready yet."

"What are they supposed to be ready for?"

"Got me," Hunk replied, approaching one with brown hair and a body with red streaks on it. "Maybe if I examine it I can HEY!"

Immediately, the robots sprang to life, attempting to strangle Hunk, who couldn't reach for his weapon. Instead, he was forced to struggle against the machines as Shiro ran forward.

"Hunk! Hang on!"

* * *

We need to help them!" Keith shouted, but Allura shook her head.

"We need this footage first, and then we need to find the command center to disable this fortress. I'm sure Shiro and Hunk will be fine, and if they aren't, we'll make sure nothing happens to them."

Breathing heavily, Keith nodded, watching as Shiro began to move and save Hunk from the machines. He did his best to relax, to tell himself that the pair would be fine on their own, which they seemed to be for the moment.

"You know," Allura said, interrupting Keith's internal monolog, "it wouldn't be very difficult for me to assume that form."

"What…form?" Keith asked.

"The form of the women you prefer."

Immediately, Keith began to blush red and stammer. "L…Look! Lance was lying to everyone before! I know it!"

"Then why do you appear so embarrassed? Surely if you were confident he was lying you would not act like you're hiding a great secret, would you?"

Breathing heavily, Keith tried to piece his thoughts together.

"I promise, if we escape here in one piece, I'll tell you everything."

"Deal," Allura responded with a grin.

Fortunately for the pair, a beeping noise indicated that the amount of footage that they wanted had been uploaded to the armor. Unfortunately for them, the door opened, revealing a pair of Galra guards looking on at them. Keith drew his sword and shield as the two raised their guns.

 **BANG! BANG!**

Both Galra soldiers fell to the ground, the shooter coming into view behind the guards. Although he was clearly human, just a brown haired man in a blue suit of armor, Keith and Allura prepared to attack.

"Hey! It's alright! Fireball said you might be jumpy, but trust me, I'm on your side!"

"Wait," Allura said, relaxing her posture as Keith sheathed his sword. "Fireball sent you?"

"He told me about the Voltron Paladins who were hunting after Shiro. Name's Colt, of the Super Robot Corps. The samurai is a bit of an over-actor, but he's a good judge of character, and he said you could be trusted."

"How did you find us?" Keith asked.

"Long story. Now I presume you're here to get the info on what theGalra are up to, right? Well, we need to find the commander, and I know where he is. We're dealing with the same problem, so why don't we work together to solve it?"

* * *

Between the battle outside and the intruders inside, the normally systematic shielding of the mobile fortress was faulty, leaving the otherwise well-hidden structure easily detected by its enemies.

"Sir!" a tank driver shouted into his intercom. "Amalgamous, we have contact with the Dragon's Den! It's twenty clicks ahead!"

"That machine has been allowed to rampage through our cities for too long! All units converge on the Galra mobile fortress and wipe it from the face of the Earth! It offends the Party!"

Tanks, jets, and the giant robot that stood over the fallen Robeast all charged forward towards the position where the mobile fortress appeared, prepared to wipe it off the map.

* * *

 _ **Next - The Paladins have made a new friend and an entire army worth of new enemies! With the proof in hand of Keats' plans, can the Paladins turn the table on Shiro's double? Or will both the Galra and the Red Army prevent them from escaping alive?**_

 **Notes:**

 **1\. I'm digging the bottom of the barrel here, trying to use concepts from _Voltron: The Third Dimension_ and making them interesting. For those who don't know, that's a show which was supposed to do for Voltron what _Beast Wars_ did for Transformers. It's known for two things, Tim Curry chewing all the scenery as Lotor, and CG that is so awful everyone looks like inhuman machines with plastic faces.**

 **2\. Unlike seemingly half of tumblr, I see Keith as straight, albeit very awkward around girls. So naturally I'm having fun with his awkward nature.**

 **As always, enjoy and review. Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome.**


	10. Cornered

"Get off of him!"

A few slashes of Shiro's charged arm destroyed the first two droids, while Hunk threw the remaining three off of him, his bayard making quick work of them. Panting heavily, Hunk could only ask one question as he looked on at the destroyed machines.

"What are those things?"

"Scrap metal," Shiro replied, picking up the head of one of the fallen robots. "This one kinda looks like you actually. Just...paler."

"And with a horrible plastic face!" Hunk protested. "That's a coincidence, isn't it?"

The sounds of footsteps approached rather than an answer to Hunk's question. As he looked on, he saw more of the vaguely human machines, at least thirty by his estimates.

"Stay back!" he yelled, holding his cannon aloft. "Or else!"

 _Or else what?_

From behind Hunk and Shiro, a group of the robots snuck up attempted to subdue the pair, knocking Hunk's bayard out of his hand. Shiro, before the robots could subdue him, pressed a button his armor, before turning to face his attackers, driving his cybernetic arm right into the face of one of the red colored machines.

Facing the pale robot with the yellow paint on its shoulders, and with no way to get his bayard from its resting spot several feet away, Hunk grimaced.

"W…what are you?"

"Your replacement, Paladin," the machine spoke in a voice identical to Hunk's, causing him to gasp.

* * *

"Target is in range! ATTACK!"

Tanks and jets immediately began to fire on the massive mobile fortress as soon as it came into range, soon joined by additional squadrons of jets and entire platoons of tanks and soldiers. From his view in the command center of the fortress, Cossack grimaced.

"They've committed half their army to our destruction!"

 _Sir!_

Turning to the blaring voice, Cossack could only yell "What?"

 _We have intruders in the fortress! They appear to be spies!_

Cossack couldn't help but growl at the news. Clearing his throat, he began to formulate a plan.

"They must be after the mobile weapons. All guards find the intruders! Flight control, I want every available Robeast fielded!

 _Every one?_

"Every last one but the Black Stealth Lion. Get me a group of those Paladin droids Keats had us work on! Prepare them to sortie in Dracotron!"

* * *

The deck below them was abuzz with activity as pilots ran to their fighters and into tanks. Given their situation, however, Pidge and Hunk failed to notice the five dragons flying out of the hangar and onto the battlefield. In particular, Lance was busy shooting any Galra that moved towards him while Pidge hastily began looking for an exit. Looking through the windows of the bridge, she found one.

"Lance! There's a catwalk to your left! Shoot the window out!"

 **BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!**

The glass was soon removed forcibly as Lance looked out towards the catwalk. Grimacing at the sheer amount of guards heading towards him, with virtually no cover besides the shield generated by his armor, he grimaced.

"How the hell do we get over there?"

"With this!" Pidge said, holding her bayard aloft. Soon, the weapon had transformed, and the grappling hook had fired, securing itself to the catwalk. Taking the cue, Lance picked Pidge up and began heading for the window.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm bigger than you!" Lance yelled between firing blasts from his rifle. "It'll be way easier if you hold onto me!"

Pidge nodded but then noticed Lance was too busy shooting at the oncoming guards to swing.

"What are you waiting for? A kiss for good luck?"

"Look," Lance said, "we need space or we'll get shot on the swing!"

 **BLAM!**

A felled Galra robot was cue Lance needed, as he prepared to swing to the catwalk while other robots came to take its place.

 **Mwah!**

"Pidge?" Lance asked, feeling the sensation on his cheek.

"For luck! Now let's go!"

Nodding, Lance swung over to the other side of the catwalk with the grappling hook, the swing and the retraction of the hook taking the pair to the bottom of the catwalk. Quickly, they climbed onto it and began running for the door.

"Now what?" Pidge asked.

"Don't ask me! I don't know where the guy running this thing is!"

The pair was prepared to continue their search when a small beeping noise went off on both of their armors. Looking at their wrists, a hologram indicating the position of another Paladin came up.

"Guess we go here!" Pidge said.

* * *

The fortress began to shake from the explosions outside, a fact not lost on Keith and Allura as they ran through the fortress, hoping to find the command center. Colt knew all too well why it was happening.

"Those morons think this is just a fortress to field ground forces. It's actually…"

"A laboratory for prototype mobile weapons," Allura said.

"Points to the lady! She did her research!"

"Well, we have a video of all their activities."

The trio stopped as a group of soldiers began approaching, firing. Immediately, Colt ducked behind a corner to return fire while Keith activated his shield to protect Allura and deflect the blasts.

"The Galra came here to learn Voltron's secrets! They didn't expect dumb backwater humans to reverse-engineer the signals and create giant robots to fight their forces with!"

Pinned down by the sheer amount of laser fire heading her way, Allura ducked behind the opposite corner to Colt. "Humans seem to be very good at finding ways to destroy!"

While she said that, and Keith was doing his best to charge forward against the legions of Galra soldier robots, Colt reached for the long barreled weapon behind his back, loading it with a shell.

"Red! GET DOWN!"

Immediately, Keith did so, shield overhead, as Colt fired into the crowd.

 **BOOM!**

The explosion left the group of robots nothing but charred scrap, as Allura looked on.

"W…what was that?"

"Grenade launcher ma'am," Colt answered. "Always carry it with me on ops like this one. Good for crowd control."

Turning to Keith, Allura went "this is exactly what I'm talking about."

Colt smiled, letting the empty shell fall out of the launcher. "It's alright ma'am. Us humans have you covered. I've acted as the muscle for plenty of people since joining this team."

 _WHIRRRR!_

The sound of metal twisting and turning alerted the trio as two still alive droids began to charge the group. Wasting no time, Allura picked up one and lifted it overhead, tossing it into the other and destroying them both.

"Your promise is unnecessary, human. I have all the muscle I need right here!"

"Remind me never to get on her bad side," Colt said, eyes wide at the display of power from the princess.

"Words to live by," Keith replied.

The group was prepared to move forward when Keith heard beeping coming from his armor. Opening it up, he saw a map pointing forward.

"The SOS!" Allura exclaimed. "We need to hurry!"

* * *

The five dragons came out to see the tank and jet fire damage one of the legs, forcing the base to lie down and drop itself to the ground to avoid falling over. Once in the air, their pilots began planning.

"The enemy is primarily smaller machines and a Voltron knockoff with an unknown name. We have our orders."

"Then we need form Dracotron!"

"That's right Lance. Alright, team, ready to form Dracotron. Activate interlocks. Dynotherms connected. Infracels up. Mega thrusters are go!"

" **LET'S GO DRACOTRON FORCE!"**

The five dragons flew into the air, twisting and moving their bodies into proper position to create one machine.

"FORM FEET AND LEGS! FORM ARMS AND TORSO! AND I'LL FORM…THE HEAD!"

Two of the dragon robots formed the legs of the beast, while two more formed parts of the arms and upper body. The black dragon appeared in the center, forming the torso and head, said head extending on a long neck.

"Let's finish them off!"

Fire emerged from the flying robot from all of the dragonheads, burning tanks and jet fighters alike. The forces quickly turned their attention to the combiner, attacking with all the firepower they could muster.

"Fire the missiles!"

From the arms of Dracotron, missiles fired at the battalion of tanks below, reducing it to complete scrap, while shrugging off the blasts from the tank cannons. The pilots felt safe until the other robot leaped into the air, swinging its sword and connecting with the torso of Dracotron. The slash left a scar on the machine but did not fell it.

"Well, at least someone here is going to put up a fight!"

* * *

Shiro and Hunk struggled against the robots in front of them, but they were too numerous, and Hunk was unarmed. For every one they tossed aside, two more leaped onto the pair, threatening to bury them alive.

 **BLAM! BLAM!**

 **SLASH!**

Laser blasts and sword swipes echoed through the room as Hunk and Shiro felt relief from the endless onslaught. Looking up, they saw five people shooting, slashing, or in Allura's case, just tossing the machines aside with sheer brute force.

"Hold on big man!" an unrecognizable man with brown hair shouted to Hunk. "We're gonna get you out of there!"

Hunk nodded in appreciation as the androids finally became few enough for him to dive for his bayard. Picking it up and grabbing it, he began firing the machine gun wildly into the group of robots, shredding them completely. Soon after, the last of the machines had been dealt with, with the group (and their new friend) united.

"Thanks for the assist, um…"

"Name's Colt," the man responded. "I met up with your friends Keith and Allura over in the monitoring room."

"He's friendly," Allura assured the group.

"Yeah, I might be a bit quick on the HOLY CRAP! FREEZE!"

The sudden shift from friendly cowboy to panicked soldier shocked the group as Colt raised his pistol and pointed it directly at Shiro, who raised his hands in confusion.

"Look, it's not what it…"

"I have orders to kill you on sight Regent! This was all a trick!"

"No trick!" Hunk and Pidge shouted, getting in front of Colt's gun. "Shiro's been framed! We came here to find evidence to prove it! The Galra are using a fake to frame him!"

"Why should I believe a damn word of what you say?" Colt asked, infuriated. "You know how many people died because of you while you bragged about killing them!? Brothers, fathers, mothers, sisters, killed en masse by Galra bombardments and Robeast attacks! What you said were 'Necessary sacrifices to show humanity the error of its ways!' I will never forgive you!"

"It wasn't him! It was someone else!"

"Pidge, Hunk, move. I can speak for myself."

"Shiro?" Hunk asked, but did as he was told, as did Pidge. Colt, still holding his pistol aloft, moved towards Shiro, while the other Paladins could only look on.

"This is not ideal, I know. But I am innocent. And I want to find the man who spilled that blood. We came to this place to prove it. You see these robots? They're Galra experiments to duplicate humans, incomplete, but it wouldn't take a lot to make them resemble humans completely."

"The Galra seemed pretty adamant about springing you from prison. Give me a reason to believe you or I'll blow your brains out right now."

"I can't ask you to trust me, given what my double has done," Shiro said. "But if you do kill me, at least let the other Paladins go. They're innocent."

Colt grimaced, keeping his gun aloft for several seconds. Finally, he dropped it, placing a small metal device on Shiro's armor, held in place by a magnet.

"What the…"

"Tracer," Colt replied. "With a powerful explosive if you try to remove it without my say-so. Your story is pretty far-fetched, and you know it. But if the others here are willing to take the bullet for you, then I'll…play along. But not without insurance."

"Fine," Shiro replied. "You'll remove it when you have evidence of my innocence?"

"And not before."

"We are all on the same side here, as hard as it may be to believe," Allura interrupted. "Which means we should probably try to find out where the command center is."

"Agreed," Keith said. "Any idea where we should head?"

"I do," Shiro replied. "The center is about three floors down."

The group, including a far more reluctant Colt, began to follow Shiro out of the room, leaving behind the debris of fallen androids.

* * *

The battle had quickly turned against the Red Army forces as legions of Robeasts, undeterred while Dracotron did its best against the giant robot of their forces, attacked jets and tanks with glee, while only sustaining one or two losses against them. In turn, at least 30 or 40 tanks or jets fell to the Robeasts as they continued their rampage. From his view in the command center, Cossack laughed at this.

"You see how futile your efforts are Amalgamous? Nothing in your arsenal is even in the same league as Dracotron, let alone my Robeast army! Now your surrender!"

 _The Party will never surrender to the likes of you! We will fight to the last man and machine!_

"Pride. Foolish human pride. When your logic circuits tell you otherwise, give me a call."

The monitor snapped off, while another opened. On it, a human face appeared.

"Regent."

 _I trust you have had time to think about my offer, Cossack? You've seen what my mobile weapons are capable of, and now I've unlocked the final piece of the puzzle! The means to create a super robot superior to Voltron. One that not even Emperor Zarkon will be capable of opposing!_

"And in exchange for my loyalty, I will be named Grand Admiral of the Galra navy?"

 _Those are my terms. But given your incompetence in letting Earth forces find the Dragon's Den, I question my judgment._

"Those forces are being wiped away as we speak," Cossack confidently declared. "And the spies on…"

 _SPIES?!_

Cossack groaned. It was obvious that Keats didn't know about the intruders.

 _The Paladins! If they find evidence of my ruse with those Paladin droids, then our scheme will be undone! Cossack! Set that fortress to self-destruct, but you are to take the Black Stealth Lion to my main fortress! I need it to complete my masterwork!_

"Seems a waste."

 _Not considering what is at stake here! All evidence of my activities must be hidden, not just from the humans, but also from Throk! Now hurry!_

The monitor shut off as Cossack grumbling, began to manipulate controls in the command center.

"Seems like such a waste, but what the Regent wants, the Regent gets."

"FREEZE!"

Turning around, Cossack grimaced, looking on at the intruders, all pointing their weapons at him.

"Paladins!"

Wasting no time, Shiro charged forward, slamming the distracted Galra commander against the wall. "Where is he?! Where's Keats?"

"Wait…wha? Oh yes," Cossack grinned. "Your double. Well, he's not here, and I have no intention of telling you anything!"

"How about," Allura said; pressing a button on the console while Shiro restrained Cossack, "we give him a call?"

The monitor sprung to life again, revealing the image of Shiro, or rather, his double, appearing annoyed.

 _What is it Cossack?!_

"What indeed," Colt said as he looked on at the image in front of him. Meanwhile, Pidge took the initiative to record the conversation.

 _Major Willcox,_ Keats began, _you're the spy?_

"Just me and a couple of new friends, isn't that right Shiro?"

Tossing Cossack to one side, Shiro looked up at his doppelganger, grimacing.

"I know what you're up to."

 _All the more reason none of you can leave this place alive. We could have just had you shot and given Earth one last fleeting moment of glory before I crushed them underfoot, but you're going to deny the planet even that. It's a pity, really. Do you think one person knowing the truth matters when none of you will survive this?_

"We can stop you," Shiro declared. "You're going to pay for all the lives you've taken to make me look bad!"

 _You don't even have the faintest idea what you're doing with Voltron, do you? In the hands of the so-called 'Paladins', it's merely a glorified paperweight. In my hands, it will be an unstoppable weapon of destruction and conquest! In fact, in my hands, I will create a weapon superior to Voltron, superior to Zarkon, superior to all!_

"It will never fall in your hands!" Allura yelled.

 _I've taken steps to deal with that. Goodbye, Paladins. We will not meet again._

The monitor shut off as the equipment around the machine exploded, distracting the Paladins. Using the distraction, Cossack ran off, but another explosion destroyed the hallway he had just run down, making pursuit impossible.

"Grr, he's getting away!" Lance yelled.

"Forget him!" Pidge shouted. "I have the evidence of Keats' trick! Let's get out of here!"

"Don't gotta tell me twice!" Colt yelled. "This way!"

Running through the ruined fortress, the group began working their way towards the roof, until finally, they had reached the top floor. Wasting no time, Colt loaded another shell into his grenade launcher, firing it at the roof.

"Stand back!"

 **BOOM!**

The ensuing hole was large enough for all the Paladins to fly out of, revealing the battlefield of Robeasts rampaging even as the Red Army continued to fight until the last man. What was most noticeable was the giant robot with five dragonheads, one for a proper head, two for arms, and two for legs. It stood over what remained of the Red Army's giant robot, the dragon heads on its arms tearing the machine apart piece by piece. Allura couldn't help but gasp.

"Keats made his own version of Voltron?"

"He knew his regular Robeasts weren't cutting it!" Colt shouted. "Come on! We need to go!" Pressing a button on his armor, a large jet flew overhead, which Colt leaped onto with the help of his jetpack.

"I'll hold the Robeasts off! But we can't stay here! Follow me to the extraction point and we'll all get out together!"

The group nodded as the lions all flew overhead, allowing the group to get into them. Allura, alongside Keith, boarded the red lion as the five quickly flew from the fortress. Unfortunately, they were not alone.

"We've got at least six Robeasts on our tail!"

"We need to form Voltron!" Shiro said, only for Lance to immediately protest.

"Voltron can barely handle one of these things! We need to run!"

"Do not insult Voltron Paladin!" Allura shouted, even as the lions did their best to dodge laser fire and thrown blades.

"Why not?" Lance shouted. "Voltron doesn't have enough firepower to fight six Robeasts at a time! We need to focus on running!"

"Lance, shut your damn mouth!" Keith shouted.

"He's got a point!" Hunk yelled. "We are outnumbered way too heavily to be effective! We need a plan!"

"That's all I'm saying!" Lance yelled.

The group nodded, only to see one of the machines flying in front of them. Unfortunately, it was the largest of the group.

"It's that dragon Voltron!"

"What do we do?" Pidge asked, but before anyone could formulate a plan, the beast blasted the lions with flame and missiles, leaving a deep, smoke filled crater. From their viewpoint inside Dracotron, the head pilot smiled.

"This is Commander Keith. Great work team. Voltron is finished. Now let's mop up the rest of the stragglers!"

The dragon robot flew off while Robeasts converged on the crater, prepared to kill whatever emerged.

* * *

 _ **Next - Has Voltron met its end at the hands of Dracotron? What is Keats' sinister plan for the Black Stealth Lion? And can Colt escape with evidence of Shiro's innocence?**_


	11. Taming the Dragon

Over 10,000 years ago.

That was when her father explained the relationship between a Lion and its Paladin. She saw the Lions of Voltron fly from Altea to protect an envoy on his way to a conference, wondering why, with all the ramifications of said conference, would the galaxy place its trust in five robot lions.

 _Allura, Voltron is more than merely five robot lions. They are part of a greater whole, drawing on a nearly limitless energy from the fabric of the universe itself. The Lion is the conduit for the power, the body, but the Paladin is the soul. Only when body and soul are together in tandem, working for a common goal, can Voltron's power be unleashed. That power is the power of the universe itself, a power no other weapon or wizard can use._

 _So when Voltron goes out, it's like the universe is protecting them?_

 _That's how many look at it. To the ambassador, Voltron is the will of the universe in the form of a mighty robot. Its presence makes everyone feel safer than any other warship or weapon could._

She had pondered those words numerous times when the Paladins complained about Voltron's seemingly lack of power, especially in her time on Earth. But she knew her father wouldn't lie to her. She knew that when the Paladins unlocked Voltron's full power, they could defeat any foe in front of them.

* * *

Colt couldn't believe what he saw. The five lions have been nailed with a barrage of flame and missiles from the dragon robot, sending them plummeting into a crater, where not content to leave well enough alone, the robot continued to fire a few extra missiles to be sure. He breathed heavily.

"Poor bastards. Maybe Shiro wasn't lying after all."

He had little time to mourn the lost pilots, as two Robeasts attempted to swipe at his jet, one connecting with a wing using a thick claw.

"That does it! Bismark, convert RAMROD to Challenge phase!"

Emerging from the shell of the jet was the torso of RAMROD, both pistols drawn as it began firing on the Robeasts. It fell back into a clearing, firing all the while, riddling the two Robeasts with holes. As he made RAMROD stand, he looked ahead and found an entire army of tanks and jets approaching, led by Dracotron.

On his comm, he also found an incoming call.

"I'm a little busy here!"

 _This is an unauthorized use of Galaxy Garrison force in our homeland. You are to withdraw at once!_

"Oh, great, the tin can! Look Amalgamous, your force has been completely wiped out! I'm providing assistance!"

 _No assistance has been called for! You are to withdraw immediately or else…_

"Or else what?" Colt said, breathing heavily. "I tell everyone the truth about you and the 'Party?' Like there is none, there's just you!"

 _W…what are you…how do you know this?_

"It was obvious! I'll give you the full explanation, but keep your men off me! I've got enough Galra to deal with!"

 _Not a word of this must escape! You will be shot down if anything unauthorized is told!_

"Deal," Colt said, before turning to the task at hand.

Unrestrained by the locals, Colt turned his attention to the Robeasts and tanks charging at him. The chest of his robot opened up to reveal two large cannons, which began firing into the crowd along with his pistol shots.

"Stay back now!" Colt yelled, firing all the while. "I can do this all day!"

Another group of tanks approached RAMROD, which was quickly gunned down. Unfortunately for Colt that was not the end.

 _ **SKREEK!**_

The heads of the dragon robot roared as they appeared in front of Colt, spewing fire that caused him to sheathe his pistols and puts the robots arm up for defense.

"You think that'll stop me!"

A powerful punch from RAMROD landed dead center on the dragon's main head, while another sent it back slightly. Undeterred, the machine countered by grabbing RAMROD's head in the head on the machine's right arm.

"UGH!"

"That all you got cowboy?" spoke a voice from the intercom. His eyes rose at the voice in front of him.

"Keith?!"

"Commander Keith to you human!"

The jaws of the dragonhead began to close on RAMROD's head, causing Colt to panic.

"FIRE!"

"Ugh!"

Two blasts from the cannons in the center of the robot hit Dracotron dead center, causing the robot to drop RAMROD. All the while, Colt began placing a message into his comm.

"Saber, I need evac! Better yet, I need backup! I found the Galra's prototype mobile weapon, but I don't think I can handle it on my own!"

 _Are you nuts? The incident we could cause…_

"I cleared it with Amalgamous! Ask him! Just hurry!"

The two dragonheads of the robots arms reached for Colt again, as he forced his robot to hit the machine square in the face again, hoping to drive it back.

"Back off you overgrown lizard!"

In response, all five heads began breathing flame, forcing Colt to back up.

"I think it's time we show him what Dracotron can really do team!"

* * *

Robeasts circled the crater, expecting to see the demolished forms of the five lions inside it. Instead, all that was present was a massive amount of smoke and flame. Landing alongside the Robeasts was the Black Stealth Lion, with its pilot Cossack-looking on at the kill.

"With all that firepower from Dracotron Voltron must be complete scrap by now. Good work boys. Let's grab all the pieces we can and bring them to Keats. I'm sure he'll want to study them."

" **LION HEAD ATTACK!"**

The ground began to shake and rumble, causing one of the Robeasts to lose its footing. Emerging from the smoke were the heads of the green and red lion, firing rockets towards the Robeasts. One struck a Robeast with a single eye and a humanoid body, impaling it; while another knocked the arm clean off of a Robeast wielding a massive sword, causing the sword to drop to the ground.

"W…what's going on?"

" **LION BEAM!"**

Laser fire emerged from the smoke, striking a Robeast covered in a large cape wielding a scythe square in its chest. The beams went right through the cape and body of the Robeast, leaving two large holes in his chest and causing the machine to fall flat on its face. The remaining Robeasts began backing away from the crater as the smoke cleared, revealing what was present in the center.

Voltron. Combined, and undamaged, its eyes glowing yellow at the targets in front of it.

"This is the power of Voltron," Allura began, looking on at the force in front of her, as well as Keith, who had a renewed focus as if guided by an otherworldly force. "The power my father always told me about."

"You're still alive?" Cossack asked. "How?"

"You've killed countless humans to make us look bad," Keith said. "You will not be forgiven!"

"Try me!"

"Eat this Galra!" Keith shouted. "FIRE TORNADO!"

A torrent of fire emerged from the head of the Red Lion onto a nearby Robeast, which quickly melted into molten slag. Cossack couldn't hide the look of dread on his face.

"Restrain him!"

Two Robeasts grabbed Voltron by the arms, a green-skinned beast with a snake tail for a body, and a machine with three claws and three legs, while two others prepared to strike at Voltron's seemingly undefended body. The voice of Hunk started laughing at the Robeasts, causing Cossack to yell.

"What's so funny, Paladin?!"

"How dumb you Galra can be sometimes. FOOT MISSILES!"

The mouths of the Blue and Yellow Lions opened, revealing two large missiles that launched, hitting the two Robeasts dead center, destroying them. Using the distraction, Voltron freed its arms, crushing the head of a Robeast under the mouth of the Green Lion while throwing it into the other Robeast.

"ICE STORM!"

Lance's yell punctuated the freezing beam that emanated from the mouth of Blue Lion, striking both Robeasts and freezing them into a block of ice, which promptly shattered into thousands of pieces. At this point, Cossack was completely trembling.

"That's impossible!"

"This is the true power of Voltron!" Allura shouted. "Do well to remember it Galra!"

Turning to a remote, Cossack began bursting into a panic. "I'm getting out of here! Hold him off!"

The Black Stealth Lion took to the skies as the depleted Robeast force attempted to restrain Voltron. One machine armed with sickles on each arm attempted to slash at Voltron, only for its blows to be deflected by Voltron's sword,

"You're not getting away!" Shiro yelled as Voltron took to the skies. However, in front of Voltron was another robot with dozens of cannons all over its body.

"Stay back!" Cossack shouted as the robot fired its blasts.

"I got this one!" Hunk shouted. "CANNONS, FIRE!"

Two cannons formed on Voltron's head, which fired, the blasts ripping past the blasts of the Robeast and annihilating it. With the Black Stealth Lion in their sights, they prepared to fire again, only for something to restrain them.

"That Robeast! It's still alive!"

"I got it!"

Another blast from the cannons annihilated the Robeast where it stood, but as they looked up, the lion was long gone, its pilot having used the distraction to run away as fast as the engines would take it.

"He got away!" Pidge said.

"We'll deal with that lion later," Shiro said. "Right now we need to get out of here!"

"What about the cowboy?" asked Lance.

"We can't leave him," Shiro replied. "He knows we're innocent!"

Looking to the side, they saw Colt, or rather his robot, on the ground, doing its best to avoid being ripped in half by the dragon robot from earlier. The group knew what they had to do.

"Pidge! Shield!"

With the cannons gone, the shield formed in Voltron's hand, the machine dashing as quickly as possible towards its target, the dragon Robeast. It rammed the machine full force, knocking it off of RAMROD, but not knocking it down.

"Well, well, well," began a voice from the dragon Robeast. "The Paladins are still alive!"

"Keith? Dude?"

"It's one of those robots!" Hunk exclaimed. "It's a duplicate of Keith!"

"Commander Keith to you, Paladins!" the voice yelled. "We're your replacements after all!"

"Replacements?" Allura asked. "I saw the duplicate of me. She was…rather pale."

"I'm also more of a woman than you are Princess!" a feminine voice shot out, causing Allura to grit her teeth.

"Keith? Would you mind?"

"Way ahead of you!" he shouted, placing his bayard in its slot. Soon Voltron's sword was at the ready, facing the machine.

"So you want to play it that way, huh?" responded the other Keith. "Well, the same way we were made to replace you, Dracotron was made for one reason. To destroy Voltron!"

Accenting its words, Dracotron's two hands clasped together, glowing. As they separated, a long diagonal blade was formed, with the machine grabbing it with a handle in its center.

"We can handle you, Voltron. It's why we were made."

"Then let's see you try!"

 **CLANG!**

The blades of Voltron and Dracotron met as Colt could only look on at the pair trying to get the advantage. Back and forth they clashed against each other, trying to strike the critical blow. Unbeknownst to Voltron, two Robeasts that had survived the battle were attempting to sneak up on the lion robot, preparing to blast it from a distance.

 **BLAM! BLAM!**

"What the?"

"Who did that?"

"Don't mind me, fellas," Colt said, dragging his robot to its feet. "Be a shame to let some Robeast interrupt your little dance!"

"Out of the way peasant!" the fake Keith yelled as Dracotron began to breathe fire at RAMROD. However, Voltron slashed at the machine, landing a deep cut in the center of it, quickly thwarting its attack.

"Eyes over here, 'Commander Keith!'" Shiro yelled. "If you're supposed to destroy Voltron, well, here we are!"

"Fine then!"

Dracotron took to the air, a large pair of metal wings on its back flaring out as it did so. Wasting no time, Voltron flew after it. With the pair off, Colt turned his attention to the problem at hand, several Robeasts and a platoon of Galra tanks.

"Fine, leave me the leftovers. Come and get some boys!"

RAMROD fired at the tanks and Robeasts in front of it, but as it did so, Colt began to notice a new problem. Specifically, the mobile fortress, moving on one bad leg, was firing wildly into the air with a barrage of weapons, presumably to exhaust its ammunition supply before destroying itself.

"Too many Robeasts, not enough bullets! Saber, where is your dumb face?"

 **SLASH!**

A charging Robeast was felled by a sword slash, but it wasn't the Lion Voltron. It was instead a black, blue, and red robot wielding a long sword. On its back, the machine was carrying a massive cannon.

"Saber!"

"Sorry about the wait!" the familiar voice of Saber Rider went. "We had to check out all the red tape, and I had to bring you a present! Catch!"

The massive cannon soon found its way into RAMROD's arms, as it began to hold it aloft. It was so large that it had to be held by both arms.

"Time to move Saber! This'll take care of the rest of them!"

"Alright! You know what to do!"

Looking on at the mobile fortress, Colt readied the cannon to fire at it dead center. Soon a familiar electronic beep was heard, indicating a target lock.

"FIRE!"

A massive shell was discharged from the cannon, flying towards the mobile fortress, a platoon of tanks and Robeasts. The ensuing explosion engulfed them all, leaving the tanks scrap metal and the Robeasts heavily damaged, easily torn apart by the sword of Gladiator Voltron. The fortress itself, while not completely destroyed, was damaged to the point where it could no longer move, the legs damaged from earlier giving out completely and causing it to collapse upon itself.

"Well, that takes care of things down here," Saber Rider said.

"Yeah," Colt replied, "but there's still a fight up there!"

* * *

Dracotron darted through the skies attempting to deliver a fatal blow against Voltron, the lion robot doing all it could to dodge and counter as their blades swung against each other.

"FOOT MISSILES!"

"Your weapons are useless Paladin!"

Two streams of fire destroyed the missiles before they could impact, while Voltron, avoided a barrage of missiles and flame, responding with a sword strike. Dracotron, in the midst of the aerial jousting, found its opening, slashing at Voltron's arm and leaving a deep cut on the Green Lion.

"You'll pay for that!" Pidge shouted.

"I doubt it," responded a voice, similar to Pidge's but distinctly deeper and lower pitched as if spoken by a male. "You can't keep up with us and you know it."

"Oh yeah?"

 **WHAM!**

"Yeah!"

Out of nowhere, Dracotron tackled Voltron, hurtling it towards the ground at rapid speed as the Paladins did all they could to avoid the head of Dracotron ripping the mechanical guts out of their robot.

 **BOOM!**

"Colt!"

Hearing the shout from Saber Rider, Colt immediately had RAMROD raise its cannon to blast Dracotron. Before he could get a clear shot, however, a voice rang out.

"Dracotron is ours! Leave him to us!"

"Red! You're still…"

"Just fine!" Keith shouted, as the smoke from the impact cleared, revealing Voltron's two arms doing their best to hold the head of Dracotron at bay.

"Surrender," the fake Keith ordered. "You'll be taken back as trophies to Regent Shiro, but you'll live."

"Oh, we're going to have words with your boss real soon!" Shiro shouted. "LION BEAM!"

Two blasts from Voltron's eyes fired, hitting Dracotron dead center, causing it to fall back.

"UGH! I can't see!"

"Then you won't see this either!"

 **SLASH!**

A slash from Voltron's sword impacted directly with the arms of Dracotron, slicing the dragon heads that served its hands clean off of the body. Undeterred, Dracotron leaped into the air, attempting to strike with its feet.

 **CLANG! SLASH!**

Another sword swipe cut the legs out from Dracotron, leaving only the head. In one clean swipe, Voltron cleaved the head straight off of the machine, leaving its body fallen on the ground, harmless.

"I'm not beaten, Paladins! You hear me!" The voice of Keith remained belligerent even as he ranted from the head of Dracotron, now lying on the ground.

"I've had enough of you, you stupid machine!" Keith shouted. With one final blow, Voltron's arm went through the head of Dracotron, destroying it completely.

All the Paladins were breathing heavily after having literally battled an entire army. Looking on at the two robots in front of them, they were unsure if they would be forced to fight again.

"I'm with the Super Robot Corps," began the man in the red, black, and blue robot. "My name is Saber Rider. From what Colt tells me, you have proof that Regent Shiro is actually an impostor."

"In so many words," Pidge replied. "We also have eyes on where the fake's main base is."

"H…how did you do that?"

"Simple," Pidge replied. "Before that weird black lion escaped, I threw a tracer on it, just in case. I learned my lesson when the fake Shiro escaped from the Garrison and we didn't have anything to track him. Now the Galra is going to lead us right to his boss."

"You understand this is a lot to take in," Saber Rider said.

"Hell, I didn't believe it at first either," Colt replied. "But that was a lot of hardware to blow up to fake this story."

From his place in the cockpit, Shiro breathed heavily.

"We are prepared to offer you copies of all the evidence we got from that mobile fortress to prove our innocence. But we cannot go into custody. We have to much at stake to be arrested for something we didn't do."

"You're putting me in a salad shooter here," Colt said. "I'm not sure if the brass will listen."

"Well, maybe they'll listen to this," Pidge said. "I found out where our friend is!"

"Where?"

"Looks like a small island off the coast of…Hawaii."

Hunk groaned. Of course, they were there. At least now he would be able to see his family.

"Hawaii?" Saber Rider said. "You're aware of what happened there over the last twelve hours, right?"

"What?" Hunk asked, his voice filled with worry. "What happened?"

* * *

"Beaten by a bunch of punk kids! I'll never hear the end of it!"

The lights cleared the Black Stealth Lion for landing into a specific hangar, which he pulled into. Once inside, Cossack set the machine down and walked out, looking up at a catwalk.

"At least your mission wasn't a complete failure."

"I did what you told me to!"

"Yes, yes you did. At least all five pieces are together."

"Five…pieces?" Cossack asked, looking behind him. As he did so, he gasped. The hangar had five lions, all black but with other colors highlighting them for each individual lion, red, green, blue, and yellow.

"W…what is all this?"

"My masterwork," Keats replied from his perch on the catwalk. "Stealth Voltron."

* * *

 ** _Next - What happened in Hawaii? As the Paladins zero in on Keats' base of operations, Shiro's double makes his move!_**

 **Notes for this chapter is...kind of a brief rant of sorts. It's just that in a lot of the sequel/reboots of the original Voltron, the big bot never really comes across as awesome as it should. It feels in a lot of cases like the writers are coasting on Voltron's reputation from the 80's to make it seem badass, rather than showing reasons on camera why it is. Meanwhile, I've always loved the types of anime where the super robot is hyped and shows why it's so awesome, usually while a bombastic theme from JAM Project or a similar power rock band plays in the background. Part of me gets it in VLD because the Paladins are rookie pilots who fell into the cockpit and have no idea what Voltron can do. On the other hand, it gets kind of frustrating. And it is never something you see in fanfics. Let's face it, a fanfic about Keith and Lance arguing about the laundry (and if you like that fic that's fine, I'm just using a random example, not bashing) doesn't really care about how awesome Voltron is. I wanted a scene where Voltron looked awesome, and you could set it to a track like that to emphasize such.**

 **As always, enjoy and review. Criticism or just random thoughts are always welcome.**


	12. Perception

The door to the prison cell opened, and its occupant, a stout man with white hair and a thin beard, looked on at his captor.

"Professor Wade, I presume."

"What do you want, traitor?"

The man in front of the professor smiled, a slight gleam coming off of his metallic arm as he did so.

"Come now. I hope that the accommodations aren't too uncomfortable. Between fellow humans…"

"I'm nothing like you Shiro!" Wade yelled, before turning his back to him. In response, Shiro merely shook his head.

"Tsk, tsk, professor. And after all the work I did to bring you in here. You see, I don't want to kill you. I need that big brain of yours to complete my masterwork."

"Your masterwork?"

"There is a much bigger plan at stake than making this planet another jewel in the crown of Emperor Zarkon. You taught me that. And while I've made strides, I need your help to complete it."

"Complete what?"

"Your weapon system. Your robots draw upon the power of the universe itself, empathetic energy, which reacts to the will of its pilots. I want you to help complete a version of the system I have made for the ultimate super robot weapon."

"Why the hell would I help you? You can kill me if you want, I'll sooner die than see you use my work traitor!"

"Bold to the end," Keats said, stroking his chin as he did so. "But that's where all those innocent people on that island come in."

Wade's eyes went wide when he heard that. "What?"

"That was not an attempt at securing territory. That was an attempt at securing hostages. You see, there are bombs all over that island, enough to kill every human living there. If you do not bow to my demands, I will detonate them."

As he walked out of the cell, Keats continued.

"The bombs go off in 12 hours. All you have to do is knock and we'll get to work. Don't, and you'll be responsible for the deaths of thousands. Maybe millions."

Wade said nothing as the door closed, looking on at the traitor Shiro with a look of pure hatred in his eyes.

* * *

Robots filled the streets of the city, some monitoring the presence of several massive steel containers, others patrolling destroyed buildings and other debris for survivors. By the ocean, others were doing the same, ensuring that nothing would get in or out without the say so of Galra officers.

It was a sight that Hunk utterly grimaced at. He had to do all he could to not rush the robots with his bayard, to not gun down every last one of them. No, he had to remain calm. He had to follow the route laid out.

"This way," Shiro muttered, the group following behind as they left their hiding spot in the bombed out building. The news of what had happened here affected everyone, but Shiro couldn't even begin to acknowledge what it meant to Hunk. Still, he had his objective, and that meant getting everyone into position.

While he did so, Hunk remembered exactly what Saber Rider had told Colt and the others on the Castle of Lions. Sure, it was easy to trust the Paladins when they saved their lives directly, but after what had happened, more people would think Shiro was a villain than ever.

 _They attacked Hawaii?_

 _Blitzkrieg. Came in, blasted everything in sight without even bothering to land troops, and then came in and rounded up the survivors to use as hostages. It's strange. They didn't even bother trying to set up a base, just round people up and destroy any infrastructure._

 _Why would they do that?_

 _All I know is that we were told not to attack or else hostages would be killed en masse. But there's something else._

 _What's that?_

 _Recon from a few survivors said that the battleships were assisted by…robot lions._

 _Robot lions? That's impossible?_

 _No, it isn't. Remember that black lion robot that escaped? It must have friends!_

 _And if we bring you back now, all the evidence points towards you. I've got a plan to get us to the Galra's main fortress, but it involves sending you all in without your lions. What do you say?_

Hunk's recollections were interrupted by the sound of Shiro huffing, indicating the coast was clear. As quietly as the group could, the five Paladins and the princess moved past the guards, zeroing in on what appeared to be a troop transport. It had dropped off several Galra soldiers acting as coordinators for robots, two of whom were carrying long cylinders, at least six feet in length.

"That shuttle will take us right to Keats' fortress," Pidge said. "Let's wait. wait, Hunk? Hunk, what are you doing?"

Hunk had broken off from the group. He was looking at a two story home, or rather, the charred remains of it, holding the bricks in his hands.

"Hunk!" Shiro said, doing his best to keep his voice down as he approached the Yellow Paladin. "We need to go!"

Hunk refused to move, only looking on at the bricks in his hand. Finally, he spoke.

"M…mom."

"What?"

The metallic steps of Galra robots and their handlers began to alert the group that they needed to move, and yet Hunk stood still. Tears in his eyes, he finally dropped the stones in his hands and drew his bayard.

"Hunk, no!" Shiro shouted, but it was too late.

"BASTARDS!"

The cannon Hunk held aloft began firing wildly, gunning down every soldier in front of him, and altering every single one in the radius. Not content with merely shooting the Galra, Hunk tackled a wounded soldier and mounted him, delivering powerful blows to his face. Shaking his head, Shiro began to try to pull Hunk away, but only he, Allura, and Keith in unison were able to do so.

"DIE! ALL OF YOU DIE!"

"Hunk!" Lance yelled, noticing the approaching soldiers as he readied his rifle. "What's gotten into you? The whole island knows we're here!"

"I'LL KILL THEM MYSELF!"

Unable to restrain Hunk, Shiro did the only thing he could. He snaked his arm around Hunk, putting him in a chokehold until he went out cold. With Allura carrying the heavyset paladin, Shiro turned his attention to Lance, who was firing into the ground.

"This LZ just got real hot, real fast and our ride just took off! We need to find an alternate way out!"

"I have an idea!" Pidge shouted, pointing at two landed Galra fighter craft. With an increasingly large amount of enemies approaching and no time to waste, Lance turned his attention to the fighters, gunning down two pilots attempting to board them.

"It's gonna be a tight fit, but we don't have a choice! Hurry up!"

Not bothering to waste any time, Allura jumped in one of the jets with Lance, the two-seater thankfully having enough space to place Hunk in, albeit barely. Shiro, Keith, and Pidge meanwhile crammed themselves into the second fighter, the much smaller Pidge easily able to wedge herself inside. Immediately, the two fighter jets took off, getting distance from the firefight.

"What the hell was he thinking?" Shiro shouted. "You heard Saber Rider and Colt! They have a lot of hostages on that island! Innocent people could have gotten killed because of us!"

Hunk, who had started to awaken, heard Shiro's raving over the intercom. Breathing heavily, he responded.

"That was my mother's house."

"Your mother?" Alura asked.

"Yeah. There was nothing left. They must have been…"

"We don't know that," Lance interrupted. "They could have been taken as hostages."

"How?" Hunk asked. "The place was nothing but rubble. I remember leaving from there to go to my first day of school, hanging out with my friends, and it's all gone. And they're all dead."

"And if you get caught or they know we're coming," Shiro said, "then you'll never be able to avenge them. For their sake, you need to remain focused."

Hunk said nothing, merely nodding his head in agreement. While he did so, the two fighter craft began to approach a smaller island, on it a massive building shaped like a pyramid, but with a solid gold color that gleamed in the sunlight.

"That's it!" Pidge said. "The tracer confirms it. That's Keats' headquarters!"

"And the center of the Galra's invasion of Earth," Lance said. "Um…now what?"

"I'll handle this," Allura interrupted, clearing her throat. What followed was not her usual voice, but a deeper, more masculine one.

"Flight control requesting landing. Repeat. Flight control requesting landing."

 _Landing confirmed. You are cleared for hangar bay #24._

Lights guided the two craft to the hangars, where they gently landed inside. Breathing heavily, Shiro repeated his plan to the others over the Paladins' communicators.

"When someone comes out to check, we have one choice. Come out and blast anything that moves. From there, we need to find Keats and drag him back with us. Hunk, will you be OK?"

Looking outside, seeing the maintenance crew approaching the fighters, Hunk began to breathe heavily.

"Open the hatch."

Soon the hatch popped open, and the maintenance crew of Galra looked on in shock at the heavyset human with a massive cannon firing wildly at anything that even had a shade of purple.

"AAAAAAAARRRRGGGGH!"

* * *

"Intruder alert! Hangar Bay 24!"

Walking into the room, with his uniform pressed and cape flowing behind him, Viceroy Throk looked on at the smiling Keats, still wearing the Black Paladin armor. He grinned.

"Do you hear that Keats? They know we're here! It's the Voltron Paladins!"

"Would you believe that I was expecting this?"

"You what?"

"The Paladins are going to come here and then when everyone else shows, it will appear that they led the attack on Hawaii, and secured the hostages as a means to kill Professor Wade, striking what they believed would be a critical blow to Earth's defenses. Meanwhile, we escape and the Paladins are dealt with for good."

"I've had enough of your convoluted plans!" Throk said. "We have the Paladins in our hands, the keys to Voltron! Let's capture them now and be done with it!"

"Well," Keats said, reaching for a pistol by a control panel, "if that's the way, you feel…"

 _ **CLICK.**_

"Then it's time I moved on to the final phase of my plan!"

"K…Keats? Security! Keats has gone mad!"

Within the room, several Galra soldiers entered, all pointing their rifles at Keats. He grinned, but none of the soldiers appeared ready to drop their weapons.

"What's so funny? You're a human, at least in appearance. Did you really think the Galra would follow you? More importantly, do you think I didn't have your betrayal planned for? I knew there was something wrong from the get go with you, but I kept you around because you were useful to me. Now, you are an obstacle!"

Keats said nothing, but he remained unflappable even as the Galra soldiers disarmed him, kicking him to the ground.

"Time to wipe that smirk off your face for good. Maybe your replacement will be more useful."

 **BANG! BANG!**

Suddenly several loud shots were heard, causing a panic from Throk. As he looked on, he saw numerous humans pointing weapons at him.

"W…what the?"

"You underestimated me yet again," Keats began, rising from the floor. "I've been planning this for weeks. Do you really think I wouldn't have made it a point to be ready for every contingency, especially the most obvious? Like having those old dusty Galra war droids replaced my superior Third Dimension Droids? Catchy name, right?"

 **BANG!**

A laser blast found its mark in Throk's chest as he fell to the ground, clutching the wound in agony. Keats, retrieving his weapon from the fallen Galra, stood over him.

"You know what your problem is? You're stagnant. Just like Lion Voltron as a matter of fact. Your empire hasn't evolved in how it does its war. Look at humanity in contrast. In the span of six months, humans have created machines superior to your Robeasts and their ancient technology, fought the invasion forces of the Galra to a total standstill, and even defeated Voltron, the 'greatest weapon the universe has ever seen'. Bullshit! The greatest weapon in the universe will be the one made by human hands!"

Throk struggled to retort, but the wound made it difficult for him to breathe. Keats smiled.

"The Galra have much to their credit. Countless planets. Vast resources. Ancient sciences of the druids. But I say that those resources will be better used under my control. And once I conquer Earth, I'm going to have words with Emperor Zarkon. And when that is done, I won't be Emperor. I'll be a god, ruling the universe!"

"M…mad!" Throk finally blurted out. "You're mad!"

"I have something that the Galra have lost over thousands of years. Vision! Now Allura, if you please."

A blond woman with pale skin and a pink jumpsuit approached Throk, holding a pistol to his head.

"Thank you Throk," Keats began. "For everything. I truly mean that."

 **BANG!**

"But it's time to move on."

* * *

"AAAAAAHHHH!"

Hunk had been relentless. Anything that wasn't human or Altean that had walked into the hangar was shot by his cannon. Doing their best to ensure their friend wasn't shot in the midst of his anger filled rampage, the other Paladins ran their defense with their shields while ensuring no one attacked from behind.

After several minutes of nonstop firing, Hunk dropped his weapon, looking on at the destruction he had caused. Vehicles were shredded, robots were turned to scrap, and Galra soldiers were gunned down. Lance was the first to react.

"Bit of overkill, isn't it Rambo?"

Gathering his thoughts, Hunk picked his cannon back up, readying it.

"Where is Keats?"

"We all want a piece of Keats," Shiro replied. "But everyone already knows we're here."

 _Yes, yes I do Paladins!_

A voice blared over the intercoms, causing everyone to look for its source. It was one the group recognized all too well.

"KEATS!" Hunk yelled. "Come on out!"

 _Don't worry about that, I want to see you. An assistant will be leading you to me. Please, follow the assistant._

From a door leading into the base emerged a woman in a pink skintight suit, with pale skin and long blonde hair. Everyone looked prepared to fight, but the woman merely bowed her head.

"Hello. My name is Allura. My master would like to see you."

"You're name is Allura?" It was clear from the tone of her voice that the actual Allura was not happy with her pale doppelganger.

"They must be like those robots that we saw in China," Pidge said. "But…"

"More advanced," Keith added.

The woman, or rather robot, began to walk out the door, the Paladins all following with their weapons at the ready. They were soon led to a large elevator, which climbed several dozen floors, presumably towards the top of the pyramid. The permeating silence was finally broken when Pidge asked a question.

"You're not human, are you?" The fair-skinned blonde who called herself Allura answered promptly.

"I am a Third Dimension Droid, designed to be a perfect mimicry of humans, except for my skeleton, which is made of durable metals and polymers. I was sent to escort you because it was hoped my face would be more pleasing than that of a Galra war droid."

"Perfect mimicry?" Lance asked, only for Shiro to slap him upside the head, with a "Focus!" for good measure.

"Yes. All body parts and even scents are designed to resemble attractive humans." Tilting her head cutely, she added, "It's why I look nothing like Princess Allura."

It took the combined efforts of all five Paladins to keep Allura from ripping the droid in half, holding her at bay while their host stood still, smiling all the while.

Surprisingly, no one attacked them until they reached what appeared to be a command center, a large room with numerous screens in the air controlled by a man at a central console. The man stood up to greet his guests as the monitors all shut-off, while the blonde droid went off to the side.

"Welcome, my friends. It's so good to see you all alive after that incident in Arizona. Especially, you Shiro, my brother.

"I'll see you full of holes, bastard!" Hunk yelled as he fired his weapon, but the laser bolts bounced off of a clear surface, deflecting harmlessly from Keats.

"Energy-proof, kinetic force proof, and fireproof. I'm quite safe here, Paladins, so your weapons are useless. But let's talk, shall we?"

"You killed my parents!" Hunk yelled, only for the others to try to quiet him down.

"Your parents were involved in that military action in Hawaii? Well, then they may not be dead."

"W…what?"

Walking back and forth, Keats continued, his grin never leaving his face.

"You see, I needed to make sure that my final steps in my plan were not interrupted, either by external forces nor by internal ones. The securing of hostages seemed to be a wise way to do that. Now that I've dealt with my Galra handler and taken command of this invasion myself, there's no reason for me to continue stalling. The hostages are in the bottom floor. Check them at your leisure."

The fury on Hunk's face turned to a sense of relief, then to doubt, then to hope, all in the span of 30 seconds. If they were alive, he had to know. They had to be. His family was too tough and too smart to be in a building when it collapsed. And there were no bodies. They had to be fine. Right?

"So you've just been stalling this entire time?" Keith asked. "Then why did you keep trying to hide the truth about Shiro?"

"That?" Keats asked. "Initially, my means to do so was meant to sow the seeds of confusion and doubt amongst Earth's forces. But when you arrived, my brother…"

"I'm not your brother!" Shiro yelled.

"But you are," Keats continued. "We descend from the same common source and are identical. Granted, I'm smarter than you, but that's to be expected. And as my brother," he continued, "I realized that I would never be whole unless you were destroyed permanently. You are the 'real Shiro', and only with your death will I become the 'real Shiro.' So I guess…I've done this both to make you miserable because I knew it would lead to your demise, the one I thing I need to replace you!"

"Get to the point!" Shiro said.

"Very well," Keats replied. Emerging from a door was an old man with a trim beard and white hair in a lab coat being held by two of what resembled the inhuman robots from China, keeping him restrained.

"My friend Professor Wade helped me to complete the final system for my ultimate anti-Voltron weapon. In fact, that's selling it short. It's an anti-Galra weapon as well. Behold!"

The roof of the building retracted, revealing the presence of five flying lions, but unlike the Voltron lions, these were predominantly black with hues of different colors, red, blue, green, yellow, and white.

"Behold! The ultimate anti-Voltron weapon! You can have the professor back, but I'll be taking my leave! Now that I have this, I don't need Earth anymore! In fact, it's probably better off not existing at all!"

The black lion lowered itself to Keats, allowing him to board it, as all five took off and flew away. Wasting no time, Allura pressed a button on her communicator.

"CORAN! We need the Lions immediately!"

 _Of course!_

The five lions flew out to meet their Paladins, guided by a remote guidance system. The Black Lion was set to lower itself to Shiro as the others found their target, hovering over it.

 _ **NITRO PUNCH!**_

Without warning, a massive metallic fist slammed into the Black Lion, sending it careening down the pyramid structure towards the bottom. The others wasted no time boarding their lions and looking at the cause of the assault.

"Oh God," Keith muttered, looking up from his lion at the cause of the assault. "It's them again."

"We've got you cornered Shiro!" the loud, forceful voice of Daniel yelled from the speakers of Vehicle Voltron. "Your friends and you aren't leaving this place alive!"

* * *

 _ **Next - Keats' latest trick has pulled the Paladins into combat with Vehicle Voltron! Can the Paladins defeat Earth's protectors? And with Throk out of the way, what does Keats have planned for Earth?**_

 **As always, enjoy and review. Hopefully, I'm able to achieve a balance between the fight scenes and the character stuff because I have no idea which side the fandom prefers in their fics.**


	13. Motivator

_Two hours prior:_

A meeting at the war room of Galaxy Garrison headquarters meant that the situation was urgent. Usually, an intercept mission only meant that the nearest team would take on whatever Robeast was present. But in cases that required the war room, a more accurate hand was required.

And as it stood, they needed to be as accurate as possible.

"All those hostages to secure Professor Wade?"

"Correct Vince," responded Commander Hawkins as he stood pacing in front of a projection screen, addressing not only the three pilots of Voltron Force but other support personnel. "Shiro has taken the professor hostage and has threatened to kill all the hostages if we mount an attack on Hawaii."

"Has he said what he wants?" Larmina asked.

"No. We think he's stalling for time. For what, I don't know. But I do have some good news?"

"You found out where the bastard is hiding?" Daniel asked, to which Commander Hawkins nodded.

"Precisely. Look here."

The monitor switched from the map of Hawaii to what appeared to a massive pyramid on a small island. The metal and the structures did not appear to be from Earth.

"This is the central command of the Galra invasion force. They've been using this fortress as the lynchpin of their invasion, and when Professor Wade was kidnapped, they led us straight to it."

"Then?"

"Then we destroy it. Voltron Force needs to attack from the south to avoid detection and will attack the main fortress while our secondary forces invade Hawaii in an attempt to rescue the hostages they have in place. Disorientation is what we need to take them down. Any questions?"

No one raised their hands. With that noted, Commander Hawkins shouted "Dismissed!" as the crews ran to their craft. Without skipping a beat, the three pilots of Vehicle Voltron were in their cockpits, ready to move out.

" **VOLT ALPHA, BETA, GAMMA, MOVING OUT!"**

The three Volt fighters soon launched from their hangars toward the island. During the flight to their target, the three pilots all shared a common emotion, worry.

"What was the professor even doing there?" Vince asked.

"He was apparently overseeing some of the reconstruction," Larmina replied. "Look, I get it, we're all worried about him."

"If it wasn't for him," Daniel added, "we'd all be in prison for a court martial. Let's face it, we kinda owe the old codger."

"Well, where is he then?" Vince asked, only for the sight in front of him to answer the question, the sight of the massive pyramid that served as the center of the Galra's planning on Earth.

"We've been looking for this thing for months!" Larmina shouted. "How were they keeping it hidden this whole time?"

"Who cares?" Daniel replied, the monitor in front of him zeroing in on the open roof of the complex. "It's the professor!"

"Worse than that," Vince added, "It's the Voltron lions!"

"Shiro," Daniel said, gritting his teeth as he did so. "Alright team, let's form Volt Alpha! Shiro isn't getting away this time!"

" **FORM VOLTRON!"**

The command was punctuated by Daniel shouting "And I'll form the head!" With that done, the form of Vehicle Voltron hovered in the area, the trio watching Shiro board his black lion robot to escape.

"No, you don't! **NITRO PUNCH!"**

The metallic fist of Vehicle Voltron launched out, a thick wire guiding it, as it nailed the Black Lion dead center, sending it tumbling down the side of the pyramid before Shiro could board it.

"Direct hit!"

"Don't give them a chance to regroup!" Larmina warned. "Let's go!"

* * *

With the Black Lion having fallen down the side of the pyramid, and the unwelcome sight of Vehicle Voltron hovering next to the building, the Paladins were gripped by tension. Shiro knew what they intended to do, and knew that he needed the Black Lion if they were to have a chance. With all that in mind, he climbed the rope ladder attached to the nearest lion, which just happened to be Green.

"Shiro!" Pidge yelled. "What are you doing?"

"Get me close to the edge! I'm getting my lion back! Allura! Go find those hostages! If the base is being evacuated, we need to make sure they're safe! The rest of you, hold Vehicle Voltron off as long as you can!"

The others had wasted no time boarding their lions, moving behind the pyramid to shield themselves from Vehicle Voltron's weapons they second they had begun climbing the rope ladders. Now the Red, Blue, and Yellow Lions all stood in front of Green, their pilots ready while Allura had run to the elevator to the basement where Keats claimed the hostages were. As she went down, Hunk could only hope that his parents were among the taken, lest they were among the dead.

"We'll give you as much cover as we can," Hunk said, "but that thing is no pushover! Remember what happened last time!"

"Last time we didn't have a plan!" Pidge replied. "Now that we do, we can win!"

"Not without Voltron!" Shiro shouted. "I just need a minute!"

"VOLT BEAM!"

Two powerful lasers fired from the eyes of Vehicle Voltron, to which Hunk went and took their brunt force. The thick armor of the Yellow Lion provided a shield that absorbed the impact of the beam, but not without rattling the Paladin inside.

"Ugh!"

"Hunk!"

"I'm OK!" Hunk reassured the others. "Barely."

Neither Lance nor Keith was willing to let Hunk test the enemy's attack again. Immediately, the Red Lion leapt towards Vehicle Voltron, roaring all the while in an attempt to engage it at close range. For its troubles, it was batted aside by a powerful swipe of the machine's right arm, its left arm reaching for a weapon.

"SPINNING LASER BLADE!"

The claw of Red Lion met the first blade, but the second struck unimpeded, slashing the top of the lion's head and sending it back. Before another blow could be struck, a beam of ice began to engulf Vehicle Voltron.

"Let's see you get out of that!" Lance yelled confidently, only for his confidence to fade when he saw the chest of the machine glow red, the heat melting the ice before it could form.

"WING BLASTER!"

A powerful beam of energy fired out, the same one that defeated Voltron the first time the two fought. Moving his machine to the left, Lance was able to avoid the blast, only feeling the residual heat from the beam.

"This thing is too tough! We can't beat him by ourselves!"

"We don't have to!" Hunk shouted. "We need to hold them off so Shiro can get the Black Lion!"

"FORM VOLT BETA! AND I'LL FORM THE HEAD!"

The three jets rapidly split apart and formed into the lithe, thin form of Voltron Beta, its spear of a left arm charging directly at Red Lion. This time, it was unable to move, finding itself struck by the spear.

"LIGHTNING LANCE STRIKE!"

Powerful currents of electricity went through the Red Lion, shocking Keith. Before the spear could penetrate any deeper, Hunk lunged at the machine, it retreating too swiftly to hit.

"Shiro needs to hurry up then!"

* * *

The Black Lion lay at the bottom of the pyramid on its side, with the Green Lion hovering over it. Shiro, wasting no time, leapt from the lion's ladder, using his jetpack to slow his fall.

"Shiro!"

"Help the others!" Shiro ordered. "I'll be right there!"

Nodding, Pidge, and the Green Lion flew off while Shiro landed next to the Black Lion, the machine clearly damaged by taking a direct blow from Vehicle Voltron's fists. Wasting no time, Shiro hopped into the machine, powering it on.

"I know you're hurt girl, but this is the only way. Let's go show them what the Black Lion and its Paladin can do."

The Black Lion roared as its equipment began to come online. Looking on at the controls, Shiro gripped the flight yoke and pulled it forward."

"Lend me your strength."

* * *

BLAZING SAWBLADE! THIS ENDS NOW!"

The Lions did their best to attack the form of Voltron Beta, but it was too quick, and the swipes of the sawblade on its right arm were nothing short of deadly. Attacking soon became out of the question as the group retreated.

Without warning, a barrage of green energy struck Voltron Beta, sending it into the pyramid. Looking behind them, Hunk, Lance, and Keith noticed the sight of their reinforcements.

"Pidge! Shiro!"

"We're not going to beat him split apart. There's only one thing to do. FORM VOLTRON!"

The lions began to fly in formation to create the combined form of Voltron. It was not unnoticed by their counterparts.

"They're bringing out the big guy!" Vince screamed. "That Black Lion should have been taken out!"

"They kept bragging about how tough it was," Larmina answered. "Then it's time we bring out the big guns too! FORM VOLT GAMMA!"

The lions, united as Voltron, landed at the base of the pyramid, but instead of facing Voltron Beta, they instead faced the much heavier form of Voltron Gamma, which readied two large missiles on its back.

"DELUXE MISSILES!"

Seeing the two missiles approaching it, Hunk did the only thing he could.

"FOOT MISSILES!"

The missiles from Lion Voltron and Vehicle Voltron collided in mid-flight, exploding too far away from the other to cause any damage. Larmina visibly gasped.

"Since when the hell can Lion Voltron do that?"

"Since now," Vince replied. "You have another plan?"

"Sure I do."

Rather than retreat, Gamma's arms outstretched to grapple with the machine in front of it. Noticing the positioning of the enemy, Hunk chose to respond in kind.

"So, you wanna wrestle, huh?" Hunk asked as Lion Voltron moved forward with its arms raised to engage its opponent. "Let's wrestle then!"

"Fine with me!" Larmina shouted, the two robots grappling with each other for superiority. Neither machine would yield in the test of strength, something that the pilots of Vehicle Voltron were too keenly aware of.

"Now! Separate!"

The three jets flew apart, leaving Lion Voltron with nothing to grapple with. Subsequently, the machine fell over, landing flat on its face. As it turned around, it faced the form of Voltron Alpha hovering in the air.

"NITRO PUNCH!"

"LION HEAD ATTACK!"

The voice of Keith immediately followed the shout from Daniel as the two fists from Vehicle Voltron met the heads of the Red and Green Lions. As both returned to their respective owners, the exchange only left Daniel, Vince, and Larmina more confused than ever.

"Why didn't they do any of this the first time we fought?"

 **CLANG!**

Daniel had no time to respond. Lion Voltron lunged forward and began to strike at its vehicle counterpart, knocking it into the building and digging the fangs of the lion heads into the machines.

"The real villain is getting away!" the voice of Lance protested. "And I'm sick of playing around! Give up!"

"SPINNING LASER BLADES!"

Two sawblades were drawn, one in each hand of Vehicle Voltron, as they began to swing back and forth, forcing Lion Voltron to back up.

"Surrender? After what you did? NEVER!"

"Then we'll have to put you down the hard way!" Shiro said. "Keith!"

A sword formed in Lion Voltron's hand, only to meet the blades of Vehicle Voltron. Lion Voltron deflected one, then found the mark with its sword, right in the shoulder of Vehicle Voltron. The pilots of Vehicle all screamed at the result of the shockwave and forcible jolt from the blade piercing their machine.

* * *

Allura had made her way to the basement of the building without a shred of resistance, something that troubled her far more than a squad of soldiers blocking her way with gunfire. Was it a trick? Did Keats already kill the hostages? Were there any to begin with?

Pressing a button, two large doors slid open to reveal a massive garage, seemingly designed to hold Galra tanks and heavy equipment. Instead, it played host to humans. Hundreds, maybe thousands of them were all present in one place. Despite the complete lack of guards, all stood still, as if held in place.

"Don't be afraid!" Allura shouted to the crowd. "I'm here to get you out of here safely! The guards have already left!"

" _We can't leave the room!"_

Turning around to find the source of the protest, Allura ran into a black haired woman with thick thighs and a tanned complexion. The look on her face was one of absolute terror.

"The room is a giant trap! Look over there!"

Turning to her left, Allura noticed that the wall had numerous controls attached to it, Galra in nature. She had no idea what it meant.

"The guards said that we were hooked up to a fission bomb or something like that. Said that if anyone left after they did the reactor would overload and destroy the whole island.

Allura went wide-eyed when she inspected the machinery up close. It was in fact, the controls for what appeared to be a remote device. Specifically, the controls laid out exactly what it was, a remote detonator.

And there was a clock on the machine counting down the number of tics before it would take the entire island and all the hostages with them.

The scope of Keats' plan became clear when she heard about the bomb. Lure the Paladins to this island to find Keats' fortress, then when they tried to rescue the hostages, the bomb would detonate and take everyone out in one fell swoop. It was ruthless and brilliant all at once. But it also heightened her desire to thwart his plans, for the sake of the innocent people present.

"The remote has sensors on it that activated when everyone left," the woman said. "If anyone leaves the room, the bomb will detonate!"

"Unfortunately," Allura replied, "It seems that in roughly ten of your minutes, the bomb will detonate regardless of who leaves."

Those around her soon picked up the words from Allura as cries of terror and anger caused the crowd to rise and converge on the detonator. Standing tall, Allura did her best to calm the crowd before a full-scale riot broke out and made dealing with the detonator impossible.

"Everyone! Please remain calm! I have come here to deal with the device! You will all escape safely but I need time to work on the explosive! Please, stand back!"

The roaring crowd muted itself, sitting down and waiting for Allura to deal with the bomb. Her voice projected confidence and reassurance to the crowd.

It was all a carefully created ruse since she had no idea how to disarm a Galra detonator. Luckily, she knew someone who did.

"Coran?" she spoke into the communicator on her uniform. "Can you hear me?"

 _Loud and clear Princess. What's going on down there?_

"Well, you see, I need some help with something. You're familiar with Galra technology, correct?"

 _Most of it appears to be unchanged since 10,000 years ago, so I'm well versed in how their machinery operates. What do you need? A door panel open? A computer hacked into?_

"I need you to tell me how to disarm a Galra remote detonator. It appears to be set to detonate a fusion bomb and there are not only the Paladins but several thousand hostages."

 _You need me to WHAT!_

"Is everything alright?" the woman asked Allura.

"Just fine," Allura responded. "The man on the other end of the line is an expert with Galra machinery. If anyone knows how to disarm it, it's him."

It was a good thing that the people in the room couldn't see Coran, because if they noticed the panting and wheezing Altean, the people may have broken down into a terror driven riot.

* * *

Vehicle Voltron did all it could to keep the blade of Lion Voltron from penetrating any deeper than it had. The three pilots were stuck trying to hold the blade in place by gripping the arms of the lion machine, holding it back as best they could.

"There's gotta be something!" Vince protested. "Anything!"

"We can't blast him this close! Not without letting Shiro run us through!"

"Think dammit!" Daniel shouted to himself and the others, desperately trying to come up with a strategy. Looking on at the screens, Daniel could only see Lion Voltron's face in front of him, but in his mind's eye, he saw someone else. Professor Wade.

The Professor, of course, was still unconscious on the top floor of Shiro's pyramid. But the words he had given to his pilots, to the members of Voltron Force, began to echo in his brain.

 _This is more than a machine. It is the power of the universe itself drawn upon by three jet fighters and one mighty robot. Vince, Larmina, Daniel, you three pilot Voltron because you can draw upon that power in a way no one else can!_

Daniel's thoughts soon changed to a battle in Singapore, against the giant Galra robot known as the Dark Paladin. He remembered that battle, a battle that the team was losing until they refocused.

 _The power you tap into is based on your wills! The three of you, if you focus your wills, cannot be defeated! Now! Use the Lion's Roar! Annihilate the enemies of Earth!_

"YAH!"

Vehicle Voltron's arms moved forward, removing the sword from its chest, and swinging Lion Voltron over its shoulder, throwing it to the ground with a perfect judo shoulder throw. Wasting no time, Vehicle Voltron flew into the air, opening its hands as a massive ball of blue energy formed inside of it.

 _Let your three wills be as one! Believe in the power of Voltron! Believe in the power of humanity!_

"Vince! Larmina!"

"WE KNOW!" The pair, having also been present for Professor's Wade's speech and the battle in which he gave it, were fully aware of what Daniel had planned.

Unfortunately for the Voltron Paladins, they were unaware of what Vehicle Voltron was doing.

"What the heck is that thing?!" a panicked Lance asked.

"It looks like pure energy!" Pidge answered. "But from what?"

"It looks dangerous!" Hunk added.

Staring upwards, thoughts, ideas all began to form in Keith's head, but he had no idea how to express them. All the while, the energy held in the hands of Vehicle Voltron began to glow brighter and brighter.

 _Concentrate your wills! If you do, there is no evil that can stand against you!_

" **LION'S ROAR!"**

The ball of bright blue energy flew from Vehicle Voltron's hands towards Lion Voltron, four of the five Paladins confused and powerless. And then Keith spoke.

"RAISE THE ARMS!"

"What?!"

"DO IT!"

Not willing to argue in the two seconds they had, the other Paladins made Voltron raise its arms, right as the ball of energy was set to collide with them.

* * *

 _ **Next - Between the power of Vehicle Voltron and the massive bomb in the pyramid, the battle is set to end with an absolute bang! But when Keats and Stealth Voltron reveal their plans for Earth, the explosion may be a mere firecracker in comparison! Can the Paladins escape the battle? Can Allura disarm the bomb in time? Or will this just be the beginning of the end for Earth?**_

 **Notes for this chapter:**

 **1\. The Panel for Voltron at NYCC confirms Lance is in fact, Cuban. Therefore, I don't have to go back and edit chapters of this fic. Yay for deductive reasoning.**

 **2\. While they may be fighting our beloved Space Dorks, the Voltron Force of Earth still view themselves as heroes fighting to save humanity from alien annihilation. I was hoping to make them, if not completely sympathetic (they are based heavily on the pilots of Getter Robo, who are more along the lines of anti-heroes than the traditionally heroic Voltron Paladins) understandable from their point of view.**

 **As always, enjoy and review! Constructive criticism, questions, comments, and all manner of feedback is always welcome.**


	14. Critical Power

The energy of the entire universe seemed to be contained in the bright blue ball approaching Lion Voltron. Keith knew this just looking at it. Why he didn't know, but he knew that the energy there was something beyond any training that he or the other Paladins had done up to this point.

He also knew that it could be controlled.

"Move the arms!"

"What?"

"Just do it!"

The arms of Lion Voltron moved, the sheer force of the blast driving the machine back. But rather than explode in a maelstrom of energy, the ball remained still, as if the mecha was holding a beach ball, albeit one made entirely of energy. The sight caused Keith to momentarily lose focus as he stared into the ball.

"Toss it away!"

An interruption from Shiro snapped Keith back to reality as the energy ball was tossed into the air, exploding into a brilliant collection of light and sound.

"What was that?" Pidge asked.

The other Paladins were silent, their focus squarely on the explosion that lit up the sky. It wasn't just a normal explosion to them, but a small hint of a far deeper mystery, a view into the true power that their lions possessed.

The view from Vehicle Voltron was nowhere near as philosophical.

"How did they do that?!" Daniel shouted. His rage was clear through the intercoms, but Larmina was quick to try to calm him.

"Daniel, we know that Voltron is based on the Lion Voltron's schematics. Whatever energy weapons we use it theoretically should be able to control."

"Well it can't control steel," Vince added. "You guys ready!"

" **FORM BLAZING SWORD!"**

The shout from the pilots of Vehicle Voltron quickly snapped the Paladins from their daze. Awe was replaced with shock as Vehicle Voltron, sword drawn, dashed straight towards Lion Voltron. Keith barely got the sword up in defense, blocking what would have been a fatal blow.

"I don't know how you were able to do that, but it doesn't matter!" Daniel shouted. "This ends now!"

"It does," Keith answered, "but not in your favor!"

* * *

Allura looked on at the communicator on her uniform, doing her absolute best to project confidence and calm down the hostages in the room. So far it appeared to be working, but the silence on Coran's end was proving to be worrisome at best.

 _Princess? Are you still there?  
_

"Coran!" Allura shouted. "Yes. Now, what do I do first?"

 _There're approximately three steps to this. Since it's remote, you need to stop the signal from being sent by anything, which is why you need to take it apart in a very specific order. Any sudden signal could set off the bomb, which sounds very powerful._

"Right. Then what do I do first?"

 _First, remove the outer casing from the four corners of the machine. DO SO CAREFULLY._

Slowly, tenderly, Allura looked on at where the two ends of the metal met, revealing a shell that covered the innards of the clock/remote. She pulled it apart as carefully as she could without upsetting any of the circuits and sending an errant signal. It wasn't helped by the hundreds of eyes staring at her as she did so, with others wondering what she was doing.

Fortunately, the metal casing was removed, the empty shell dropped to the ground with an unceremonious _CLANG_ as Allura waited for the next step.

 _I don't hear an explosion. Good, good. Now, I need you to look inside. The main signal device is behind two layers of metal, to prevent well…sabotage._

"Is there anything I need to do here? I think some older women are looking over my shoulder."

" _You're going to need to take them apart from the outside in. Start with the one furthest from the center, then the one after that, and finally the one in the center of the device._

"Alright," Allura replied, carefully using her smooth fingers to slowly take apart the metal casings.

"Miss?"

"AH!"

Allura bit back a curse. The startling had caused her to nearly rip off the second box and potentially set off the bomb. Doing her best to force a smile on her face, she turned to the source of the disturbance.

"Is everything alright?" asked an older woman, her face full of wrinkles and her expression one of worry. "You seem to be startled."

"I'm fine," Allura answered, "but I would appreciate it if no one interrupted me during this. No one."

"Well, OK then."

The old woman sat down, shushing the crowd as Allura pulled the final box back. What she saw in front of her was a fuse hooked up to the now exposed digital clock with five wires, black, red, blue, yellow, and green. The princess couldn't help but smirk at the Galra apparently using the Paladins' color for their machine.

"I've gone ahead and exposed the center, but all I see are some wires attached to a clock. What do I do now?"

 _Good, we're at the final step. At least, I think that's good._

"What do you mean?" Allura asked, doing her best to keep her voice down so the crowd wouldn't hear her.

 _Well, you see, the wires are connected in such a way that one is the 'kill switch', as the phrase goes, where pulling it will send a signal to disarm the device. The other four…will detonate it._

"Okay," Allura replied, "so which one does what?"

 _I don't know._

"WHAT?!"

The yell was loud enough to alert the people behind her. Turning around, Allura smiled, doing her best to look positive.

"Don't worry everyone! I'm almost done. You'll be able to get out of here soon!"

When she turned back to the communicator, her mood quickly changed.

"Coran! What do you mean you don't know?"

 _I mean I don't know! They wire the devices differently every time! You need to find the kill switch and pull that wire!_

"Um…what if I try to find the bomb instead?"

 _Considering that the remote detonators like this are made because no one wants to be near the actual bomb, plus what you told me about the sensors in the room, that is impossible. Look, if I was there, I could try to feel it, but you'll have to see it for yourself!_

Groaning, Allura turned her attention to the five wires. On the plus side, she only had five to choose from. On the minus side, that was still only a one-in-five chance of not killing everyone in the room. And the surrounding area, for that matter.

* * *

The swords of the two giant robots clashed as the sun set over the pyramid, fatigue ignored on both sides as men and machines were pushed to their breaking points. On both sides, the combatants did their best to convince themselves they had the advantage with neither would yield.

"Persistent little jerkoffs, aren't they?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah, but we've seen everything they can throw at us," Larmina replied. "We just need to keep wearing them down by switching forms. Attrition will do them in."

A similar conversation was occurring in the cockpits of the Lions, with Pidge remembering her theories from earlier.

"Guys, remember last time? If we can catch one of the fighters mid-transformation, we can cripple Vehicle Voltron! We just need to get the sword out of its hand and force it to transform!"

 **CLANG!**

"Easier said than done!" Lance shot back, as Lion Voltron deflected a blow aimed squarely at its head.

"She's right, though!" Shiro said. "The enemy is at their weakest when changing forms! If we can force it to happen on our terms, we'll have a split second to strike!"

 **SLASH!**

The thought from Shiro was punctuated with Vehicle Voltron landing a hit on Lion Voltron, the machine slashing at its torso but not leaving a deep gash. Readying its sword, the Paladins prepared for the next blow.

"TAKASHI SHIROGANE!" yelled the voice of Daniel. "DIE!"

"NOT TODAY!" Shiro shouted back as the two met. In one quick movement, Lion Voltron ducked under the horizontal swipe and came upwards with a vertical slash, damaging the hands of Vehicle Voltron and knocking its sword out of its hand.

"Your tricks won't work this time!" Shiro declared.

"SEPARATE!"

The three jets rapidly separated from their combined form, attempting to get some distance to combine into another configuration. The second they did so, Pidge shouted "NOW!"

"ICE STORM!"

A beam of ice fired from the Blue Lion, striking the black fighter craft dead center and causing it to careen out of control.

"I'm hit!"

"LARMINA!" shouted the voice of Daniel from the blue fighter, but before it could do anything, Lion Voltron flew before it, knocking it aside. The speedy red fighter met a similar fate, knocked to the ground by a swipe of Voltron's sword. With the three fighter craft disabled, Shiro let out a heavy sigh.

"It's over."

"Mankind will never surrender to the Galra!" Daniel shouted defiantly. "Go ahead and kill us! Someone else will take our place!"

"Will you knock it off?" Lance shouted, his tone full of annoyance. "You three are so obsessed with fighting that you haven't even bothered to listen to us! We're not your enemies! Fireball figured it out, and so did Colt and Saber Rider! Why can't you morons?"

"Because you attacked us, remember?" Larmina replied. "What's changed?"

"Not gonna lie," Hunk said, "I think you three make it really easy to dislike you."

"The feeling's mutual fatty," Vince answered.

"You ought to watch your mouth, you son of a…"

"Hunk!" Shiro shouted. "Look, you don't like us because you think I'm someone else. But I have proof of my innocence. And I can show it to you the same way I did your friends. That's all I want to do. But I refuse to let Voltron or its Paladins be locked up!"

"Well, where's the evidence then?" Daniel asked.

 _Here, fools!_

The Paladins turned around for a brief moment before a powerful jolt knocked the already damaged Voltron to the ground. Looking up, they saw the source of the strike.

Before them stood a giant robot which was similar in shape to Lion Voltron, but completely black save the outlines on the lion heads. A stylized 'V' stood in the center of the robots chest, while the face of the machine had glowing blue eyes.

"Keats!" Shiro shouted.

"Did you think I just left and thought you two would kill each other? I don't leave anything to chance Paladins!"

"Is that why you set up that bomb?" Shiro asked.

"Don't worry about that. A warp gate will get me out of here five seconds before it detonates. Besides, if you're going to die, you're going to die at the hands of Stealth Voltron!"

"Stealth?" Pidge asked.

"How stealthy is a giant stomping robot?" Hunk added. Keats chuckled at these questions.

"Advanced systems allow my Voltron to stay hidden from sensors, and with the completed empathic energy system, I can summon any weapon I please to destroy you! IRON MACE!"

In the hands of Stealth Voltron formed a spiked ball and chain, which rapidly began spinning. Shiro did his best to remain composed.

"Voltron has taken an absolute beating! But we have to…"

 **WHAM!**

A strike from the ball and chain felled Voltron, while another landed squarely on the back of the downed robot, leaving deep holes in it.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Keats exclaimed. "I'm going to enjoy breaking this outdated hunk of scrap and its pilots apart one piece at a time!"

* * *

Allura breathed heavily, reflecting on Coran's words. One of the wires connected to the clock that now read two minutes of time remained. Pull that one and the machine would disarm. Pull the wrong one and she wouldn't have time to regret her mistake.

Each wire, whether coincidentally or purposefully, had the color of a Paladin on it. Looking at the wires, she could only reflect on the Paladins while deciding which one to pull. They all had their qualities, but which one would she trust disarming a bomb?

"Pidge?" Allura asked herself looking at the green wire. "No, she would probably want to see the bomb detonate just to observe the reaction. What about Hunk? I'd trust him dealing with poisons and ingredients in food, but this seems a mite delicate for him."

The people in the room could only look on at Allura's attempt to disarm the weapon. None of them knew what they were dealing with, as it was alien in nature, so for now, the dark-skinned princess was their only hope.

"Ok, so blue?" Allura asked herself before chuckling. "Hah, by the time Lance stopped flirting with the women around him the bomb would go off! So that leaves…"

Two wires remained colored black and red. Shiro would probably want to examine the device from all angles, talk himself into doing it, and then pull it. It was what made him a natural leader. But then again, he would hesitate. It wasn't obvious to the Paladins who saw him as almost a father figure, but she could see it in his eyes, the doubt, the fear, the confusion at points.

And then there was Keith. The boy who tried so hard to be aloof, focused, and stoic to hide his own fears and insecurities. But when push came to shove, there was one thing he would never do.

He would never hesitate. If his friends were in the fire, he would leap in to save them. If someone needed help, he would offer it. Doubt never clouded his mind.

 _Let's go._

For a brief moment, she thought she felt Keith holding her hand, guiding it. Reaching for the red wire, she snapped it. There was no hesitation, but above all, there was no doubt. No fear.

As she looked at the clock, there was some fear, but the fear quickly vanished.

The clock went blank. The device had been defused. Smiling, she spoke into her communicator.

"Coran?"

 _What is it Princess?_

Speaking aloud so the crowd in the room could hear her, she said, "The bomb has been disarmed. Send the signal for the Galaxy Garrison to begin evacuating the island."

 _At once Princess!_

A cheer rose from the crowd as Allura announced the good news. Immediately grateful humans swarmed her, asking her what was going to happen next.

"Everyone please relax. We need to evacuate in a calm and orderly fashion. Garrison transports will be here soon. We must leave calmly to prevent any issues going upstairs."

As the crowd attempted to organize themselves Allura couldn't help but offer a heavy sigh. But then again, she had no plans on dying in this place.

Keith still had to explain his secret to her after all.

* * *

"UGH!"

"We're at critical damage!" Pidge exclaimed. "I don't know how much more of this we can take!"

Forcing the heavily damaged Voltron to its feet on shaky legs, the five Paladins readied their sword against the swinging ball and chain of the machine Keats called Stealth Voltron. Another swing tied up the sword and chain together, knocking both out of their hands.

"I think we're safe for UGH!"

The 'ugh' came when Stealth Voltron rammed Voltron with its shoulder, knocking the Paladins to the ground. Refusing to let up, it raised its arms, the two mouths of the lions opening.

"STEALTH FIRESTORM!"

"We're being taken apart!" Hunk shouted. "What do we do?"

"We have to do something now!" Shiro answered, attempting to draw the shield to protect itself. However, a powerful kick knocked it out of Voltron's hands, with a second blow knocking Voltron down, unable to rise.

While watching the beating that Lion Voltron was taking, the three pilots of Voltron Force all stared on at the battle, realizing that they had been played for fools, yet were powerless to do anything about it. Daniel, looking on, bit back a curse. He and the others had been charged with defending the Earth, and they had helped the man who was leading the fight to subjugate it.

"The systems are all fried!" Lance yelled. "She's not moving!"

"FORM ENERGY SWORD!"

In the hands of Stealth Voltron formed a sword with a curved blade, raised into the air as if it were to decapitate someone.

"It ends here Paladins! But trust me, mankind is in good hands!"

With no recourse, no last second weapon present, the five Paladins could only brace themselves for the killing blow.

" _ **STARFLAME BLADES!"**_

A barrage of blades struck Stealth Voltron in its shoulder and right leg, causing it to drop the energy sword, which vanished into nothingness before hitting the ground. Turning around to face his opponent, Keats grimaced.

"What the? Vytor?"

Before Stealth Voltron stood Vytor, with its sword drawn and ready to strike. It kept its distance even as its pilot spoke aloud.

"Paladins, I've come to repay my debt. You will not fall at the hands of this villain today!"

"You fool!" Keats shouted, even as Stealth Voltron readied its sword once more. "You've walked right into my trap!"

"You mean the bomb you set?" Fireball asked. "It's been disarmed. Your brilliant plan didn't account for a saboteur who knew about Galra detonators!"

Keats grimaced. Without the bomb, there was no way to kill the hostages, and more importantly, no way to eliminate the mecha that had invaded his Earth base.

"Keats!" Fireball yelled while pointing the sword of Vytor directly at Stealth Voltron, "Fight me!"

"Normally I would oblige you," Keats began, "but I know you have a Galaxy Garrison naval fleet approaching. I'm not stupid enough to fight an army without one of my own."

"Coward!"

"I call it practical, Captain Hikari! But don't worry! Thanks to my genius, I don't need Voltron anymore. In fact," he added, even as a warp gate appeared behind Stealth Voltron, "I don't need Earth anymore! So enjoy your victory! It will be the last one this planet ever has!"

Dashing forward as quickly as its engines would allow, Vytor attempted to slash at Stealth Voltron, but it was too late. The machine had vanished into the gate and sealed it behind, rendering Vytor unable to pursue. Groaning at the fact that Keats had managed to escape yet again, Vytor turned to the fallen Voltron, sheathing its sword and raising the robot to its feet.

"Paladins, are you alright?"

"As fine as we can be after that," Lance said. "How did you know what was going on?"

"Colt and Saber Rider worked with your support man, Coran, and my assistant April to coordinate the rescue fleet. Once we had gotten word that the bomb had been disarmed, I was sent ahead in case a Robeast or something similar had been deployed. I didn't expect Keats to have his own super robot."

"Wait," Lance said, "Galaxy Garrison is coming here?"

"It took convincing from myself, Colt, and Saber Rider, but they trust you now that they have proof of your innocence. But Lance?"

"What?"

"You can stop pretending you're the leader of the Voltron Paladins."

Lance said nothing to this, which caused Keith and Pidge to chuckle, even given the situation. As they did so, the hostages, along with Allura began to file out of the building, shaken, but otherwise unharmed. Looking into the crowd, Hunk appeared sullen, until he saw a familiar face among the rescued civilians."

"M…mom! Dad! They're alive! Guys, I need to go see them!"

"You will," Shiro reassured Hunk. "But here's my question."

"What question is that, Commander Shiro?" Fireball asked.

"How are we gonna explain all of this?"

The sound of horns from the nearby ships heightened the confusion. There was going to be a lot of explaining to be done, and a lot of people to clarify things for.

But even with Voltron battered, no one had died miraculously. The hostages were safe. Things appeared to be improving.

* * *

In the deep reaches of space, the five Stealth Lions boarded a Galra cruiser, one of seventy, all of which orbited Jupiter's moons. As he approached the bridge, a blond haired woman with white skin and a soft voice greeted Keats.

"Welcome, Master. What are your orders?"

"Are the crews of the ship ready?"

"As per your orders Master. The Third Dimension Droid production has begun in areas that Zarkon has not been able to trace, and our forces have replaced the Galra troops manning these ships."

"Excellent. Zarkon will have his day at the tip of Stealth Voltron's sword, but for now, we must focus on the immediate issue. Earth."

"When should we attack?"

"When Stealth Voltron is repaired. It took significant damage thanks to a cowardly sneak attack, but it should be easy to repair."

"And then?"

"And then," Keats began, holding the blonde droid close to his face, "we wipe every last trace of life off of planet Earth."

* * *

 _ **Next - Shiro has some explaining to do, Hunk has a family to reunite with, and Allura has a secret to pry out of Keith. But their rest is short lived as Keats decides conquering Earth is no longer necessary, instead deciding to annihilate it! Can the defenders of Earth prepare for the coming storm, or has Keats finally outmaneuvered his 'brother' critically?**_

 **As always, enjoy and review. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.**


	15. Reciprocation

"Mr. McClane, given the highly unusual circumstances of your desertion, as well as the fact that you were not, in fact, cohering with the Galra, but attempting to stop them, it is the recommendation of this panel that you not face court martial for deserting the academy, and that all pending charges be dropped. You may go now."

Standing up from the chair, Lance walked out of the hastily made panel, a conference room in an office that Galaxy Garrison had turned into a makeshift base along with their troops and equipment. The Vehicle Voltron force had their materials hauled back to their home base, while others were staying behind to rebuild and plan. The locals meanwhile, used the opportunity to dust off undamaged businesses, do what they could for their homes, and ensure that they could at least make some money off of the massive military force that suddenly found itself stationed in the area.

In the midst of all this, now that they were all technically allied, Galaxy Garrison command thought it would be a grand idea to quiz the Paladins on exactly what had been going on and to clear any air. The good news was that so far, that included dropping charges of desertion against himself, Hunk, and Pidge. Keith technically had already left the academy and Shiro…

"How did it go?" the Black Paladin asked. He was reading a magazine in a small waiting room until Lance emerged from the conference room, looking up from the business articles.

"The usual. Grilled me about Voltron, how I knew about it, and what we've been up to."

"Did you tell them anything personal?"

"Nah," Lance answered. "They made it sound like they were saving the really tough questions for you."

"Captain Shirogane?" a receptionist asked, poking her head through the door. "They're ready for you."

"Well," Shiro replied, getting up and walking inside, "that's my cue."

"Have fun," Lance said, before walking out the door.

* * *

"I trust this is a bit more comfortable than last time, Captain."

"Well, I'm not in handcuffs Commander Hawkins. That helps."

"Knowing you're not Regent of the Galra has admittedly made this more comfortable for us, yes."

The plain white table was full of paperwork and folders where Commander Hawkins and his assistant, a man known as Wade sat, both looking over the files. Next to Shiro was a cup of hot coffee. Taking a sip, he began to wait for the questions to pour in.

"So you were completely unaware of what had happened on Earth while you were on…Arus was it?"

"Yes. I came back and left the same day, back on the stolen Galra ship, and left on the blue lion. We had no way of contacting Earth where we were. To say nothing of the period where we were al divided and spent weeks looking for each other."

"Sounds like quite the adventure," Professor Wade said.

"It was," Shiro replied. "We almost died. But…if we had known any of what was happening on Earth, we would have returned immediately."

"My question," a third officer asked, "is why copy you, Shiro?"

"Because they knew I had escaped," Shiro answered. "They needed a face who they could plausibly expect, and used it to sabotage my warning, thinking that I was instead advocating for surrender. Quite simple. Sow confusion and mop up the stragglers. You're saying that they attacked a month after I left?"

"Yes, we thought that you were gone, and the following month, the Galra attempt to destroy our major cities and bludgeon us into surrender. If it wasn't for Professor Wade studying Voltron's signals and adapting the technical designs with our own technology, we would never have been able to repel them."

"We…had no idea."

"But then you stumbled upon Earth and found out what happened?"

"By accident," Shiro said.

"You'll understand if I find that hard to believe."

"Well, when we got here, it was for the other Paladins, so they could see their families again. Like I said, if we had known what was happening, we would have shown a lot earlier."

"That matches with the stories from your subordinates. Now, about the lions themselves, we would like to ask you some questions."

"Like?"

"Who the hell makes their giant robots look like cats?!"

"You'll have to ask the engineers from 10,000 years ago that one," Shiro replied with a grin, taking another sip of coffee as he did so.

* * *

Lance had left the building, eager to finally be done with the paperwork and other formal items that had lingered ever since he left Earth. As he walked back inside the Castle, hoping to see the other Paladins, he instead only saw Pidge, happy to work on her computer while sitting on a couch.

"Hey, Pidge! What's up?"

Pidge rolled her eyes at the intrusion, but instead of ignoring him, turned around to greet her teammate.

"Everyone's off doing their own thing, so I thought now was as good a time as any to do some research on what's been going on since we've been gone. Do you know how many new songs have come out since we've left Earth? TV shows? Games? Books on science and engineering? If I don't get it now, who knows when I'll be able to? If I do get it, I can make sure we're never bored again!"

"Well if you don't mind," Lance began; reaching for the computer, only for Pidge to close it shut and stare at him with a sharp glare.

"Don't even think about it pervert," Pidge answered.

"I was gonna ask if you could download some music from some artists I like. It's not my fault your mind is in the gutter!"

Pidge blushed for a moment before groaning at Lance's comeback. Breathing deeply so that she didn't toss her computer at Lance's head, she instead recomposed herself.

"I'll do it on the condition you go somewhere else, OK? Just write me down a list of the people whose songs you want and I'll look for them. Then go…play with Keith or something."

Lance snickered, clearly enjoying Pidge's flustered reactions. After finding a pen and paper Pidge had to write down the names, he walked off, but not before adding, "So, what are you into? Dance? Teen pop? You're into boy idol music, aren't you?"

"None of your damn business," Pidge answered, her tone covered with sarcasm. She knew what he was trying to do, but it would take more than that to make her buckle.

Nodding with a chuckle, Lance walked off, hoping to find something to do. He was hoping to have one of the others go over to a local hangout to act as his wingman, just so he didn't seem like a creeper. Going over to Hunk's room, he prepared to knock, only to notice a note on the front door.

"Out with family. Back later. Makes sense."

* * *

It's been completely destroyed," Hunk lamented as he looked at what remained of the house he grew up in. Next to him sat an older Japanese woman with black hair and a troubled expression, alongside a darker skinned Hawaiian around the same age who held Hunk's shoulder.

"You and your brothers grew up here," the man began, "but you are your brothers are also safe. Houses can be rebuilt. We spent over a year believing our youngest son was dead. No amount of insurance was going to fix that."

"Your father is right," the woman added. "When we heard that Shiro had killed you…"

"It wasn't Shiro," Hunk replied defensively. "If anything, Shiro's saved me more times than I can count."

"I understand dear," the woman replied. "But it's…quite a story to hear after months of someone looking just like him constantly taunting the Earth."

Picking up a stone from what was the wall outside the kitchen, Hunk asked: "Where will you go?"

"Your aunt Dina is in San Antonio," Mrs. Garrett explained. "We're going to stay there for a few days while we decide whether to move out there or come back here. She keeps trying to convince us to move there."

"San Antonio?" Mr. Garrett scoffed. "Who would want to live there?"

"A lot of people Kaiko," Mrs. Garrett answered, looking on with Hunk at the debris. "I know how strongly you feel about living here, but…"

"I was born in Hawaii Malie," Kaiko interrupted. "No alien is chasing me from my home."

"Can you at least promise you'll be safe?" Hunk asked, doing his best to diffuse any potential argument.

"We will," Kaiko replied. "Now, what say we go get dinner? Our son has come back to us! This deserves a celebration!"

"Is the buffet still open?"

"Why did I guess you were going to ask for that?"

"If you saw what I had to eat while in space, Mom," Hunk explained, "you would know exactly why."

* * *

The night was starting to set in and with admittedly precious few hours of it to enjoy before duty called, Lance sure as hell wasn't about to spend it holed up in the Castle of Lions, even if he could watch Earth television again. With that in mind, he began to head for Allura's room, hoping the princess would be amenable to a night out without thugs shooting at her. He hadn't gotten a chance to speak with her outside of work since Florida, and he had hoped she would accept his offer after their beach day was rudely interrupted.

Unfortunately for Lance, when he approached Allura's room, he found the door closed with Coran in front of it.

"Coran, what are you doing?"

"The Princess is quite insistent that no one interrupts her for at least an hour by your measurements. Please leave."

"What's she doing? Putting on her makeup?"

"Makeup?" Coran asked.

"You know, dressing herself up?"

"Ah!" Coran explained. "Her beautification process! No, she's not doing that. She just said it was important she not be disturbed."

"I can just sit here and wait you know," Lance said. "It's not like I have anything better to do."

"Nonsense!" Coran shouted, taking Lance by the hand and leading him to the control room. "Pidge told me all about the programs on your "television!" I would love to see them along with you, get a better idea of what Earth's culture is like! I've been so busy these past few days that I haven't had a lot of 'me time!' You must show me some of these Earth sports!"

"B…but…Allura," Lance moped, only to find himself walking away from her room. What could have been so important that it required her to have Coran stand guard?

* * *

"Please, sit, Keith."

Looking at Allura as she sat on the bed, Keith instead chose to sit on a chair by a table. His heavy breathing was immediately evident to the princess.

"Is this secret so embarrassing that you're already planning an escape?" Allura asked, before adding, "Don't bother. Everyone is away on other duties and I have Coran guarding the door for the next hour. He was told that I need privacy."

The blood drained from Keith's face as his eyes began darting back and forth. With no obvious escape route, he asked, "Isn't this overkill?"

"You act as if I'm going to hurt you," Allura replied. "Besides, you promised me you would explain why Lance kept taunting you. Your 'dark secret'. Is that you like other men?"

"HELL NO!" Keith screamed before recomposing himself. "Well, I mean, there's nothing wrong with that, equal rights for LBGTQ couples were passed years ago across most of the world, but I mean…that isn't it. You know?"

"I figured as much," Allura said.

"Then why did you ask?" Keith asked, his face clearly flustered from what had just been said.

"Because your overreaction is amusing. But please, tell me the truth. You like strong women, don't you?"

Breathing heavily, Keith answered, "yes" in as quiet a voice as possible.

"Why is it so embarrassing?" Allura asked.

"Because women on Earth have a usual beauty standard where they're weaker than men, smaller, more agile. But there was always something…"

"Is something wrong?" Allura asked. Looking on, Keith was prepared to say 'no', but looking her over, Allura's arms appeared…bigger. Not just her arms either, her legs, from what he could see underneath her dress appeared more toned as well. She even appeared to be covering more of the bed; her height amplified the way it was when she assumed the form of a Galra soldier. The only difference was that this time her skin and hair color appeared completely unchanged.

She was toying with him, like a cat with a mouse. And she was enjoying every second of it.

"Is this just to make me look stupid?" he asked with an exacerbated tone.

"Goodness no!" Allura answered. "I just wanted to know what made you seem so guarded. If you ask me, it's silly to be embarrassed about it. To expect someone to be weak and frail, that could never appeal to you, now could it?"

Keith shook his head. "Well, I always had to do everything by myself. Never had my parents around; never had anyone to help me out. I just…thought…"

"Thought what, Keith?" Allura asked. "I'm quite interested." Of course, she neglected to mention her height and musculature continuing to increase, the now eight foot tall, heavily muscled amazon of a princess staring at the comparatively puny Paladin.

"That it'd be nice to have someone to help me instead. Someone strong enough to take on all those…burdens. Look, I'm not a shrink! What do you want from me?"

Allura laughed again, a bellowing laugh that both scared and excited Keith at the same time. Rather than do anything forceful, however, she merely patted him on the shoulder, albeit with a hand big enough to cover the entire thing.

"I just wanted you to open up a bit, Keith, that's all. You shield everything about yourself, and I always wonder why. Besides, I don't think it's embarrassing."

"You don't?" Keith asked, his blushing face now expressing genuine confusion.

"Truth be told, I would feel a bit insulted if you preferred weak women. Expected someone to just be molded like clay."

The embarrassment on Keith's face retreated for a moment, replaced with a slight smile. He stood up from the chair, approaching Allura.

"Can I…feel them?"

"If it makes you feel better, please do."

Slowly at first, but soon with a renewed vigor, Keith began to feel the muscles on Allura's body, the strokes causing her to giggle slightly.

"And all Alteans can do this?"

"Well, we don't normally use it for this sort of thing, at least not now. My father told me our shapeshifting ability was a natural method of adapting to our environments when our species were hunter-gatherers."

"So, like humans?"

"I wouldn't know," Allura replied. "My knowledge of human history is rather limited after all."

"No one told you?"

"I never had the time to ask. Do you mind?"

"Well, I did study history at the Academy as a minor. Sure!"

Over the next forty or so minutes, Keith continued to feel Allura's body while offering the Altean princess an abridged history of human development. She listened intently while noticing how happy Keith seemed to be telling the story. Keith's enthusiasm was infectious, and Allura couldn't help but smile.

 _One day,_ she thought to herself, _I'm going to find out the rest of your story, little man._

* * *

"So the man with the bat has to hit the ball towards the end? So why didn't that one count?"

"Because it was too far to the side, Coran. You have to hit it in the between the two poles or it doesn't count."

"But you don't lose if you just hit those, right?"

"No, the pitcher has to make you miss in order to get the third strike."

As Lance attempted to explain the various rules of baseball during the fifth inning of a night game, the door slid open revealing Keith sitting down. Lance looked up and immediately felt something was wrong.

"What are you so happy about?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Keith replied "No reason, just nice to get some rest."

Ignoring Coran for the moment, the wheels began to turn inside Lance's head. Allura was gone for an hour in her room and Keith suddenly shows up…an hour later.

 **SNIFF SNIFF**.

"What are you doing, freak?" Keith asked, visibly disgusted at seeing Lance sniffing him.

"Ah-ha! Allura's perfume! You were in her room!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Keith yelled. "She asked me to explain some things to her about history because no one had…stop that!"

"You were in Allura's room for an hour lecturing her about human history?" Lance asked. "Why do I find that hard to believe!? She wanted to be alone, and you snuck in!"

"Snuck in? Who do you think I am, you?!"

"I think you wanted to get close and my sweet innocent Allura…what's so funny?"

"Nothing!" Keith insisted, doing his best to block out the image of the Amazonian form Allura had turned herself into earlier. "Absolutely nothing."

"You can lie to the others but not to me," Lance said. "When everyone knows where you were…"

"Don't be jealous Keith is seeing someone else," interrupted a voice easily recognizable as Pidges. Lance groaned, looking on at the grinning girl. She had gotten her payback for earlier.

"If you're all done," Coran interrupted, "it's the top of the sixth inning and I still don't know all the details of what's going on. Is he allowed to move between bases when the ball isn't hit?"

Sitting down next to Coran, the group put aside their sniping for the moment to teach Coran the finer points of the game of baseball. Before Lance could explain what was going on, the feed turned to static.

"What gives? Is something up with the reception?" Pidge asked.

Looking at the face on the other end of the television, Keith grimaced.

"We're seeing exactly what he wants us to see."

* * *

The Garret's had just returned from the buffet line with their third plate of food. Between talking about what Hunk's three brothers had been up to as well as the extent of Hunk's adventures in space, the pair couldn't help but be impressed by the amount of food Malie was eating.

"Clearly you get your appetite from your mother," Mr. Garret joked, "but your figure from me!"

"Oh come on Dad," Hunk said with a laugh, "you can keep up."

"I hope so," Kaiko replied. "We're not done talking yet!" However, before he could continue, Hunk, out of the corner of his eye, noticed a television by a bar show a familiar face, wearing armor identical to the Black Paladin with the addition of a flowing black cape.

"Keats," Hunk said with a scowl across his face, putting his food down and looking at the television.

"Tsuyoshi? What is it?"

* * *

 _Citizens of Planet Earth, my name is Keats. I, as many of you know by now, was impersonating Takashi Shirogane over the past few months in order to make my demands known to Earth. But it seems that I have what I need and that further attempts to subjugate Earth are more trouble than they are worth._

The broadcast was shown everywhere, even in the waiting room Shiro was set to walk out of following a brutally long two-hour questioning and debriefing. Looking on along with the secretary, he was soon joined by Commander Hawkins, Professor Wade, and Captain Newley, all staring at the screen.

"If this doesn't prove it," Shiro began.

"We already cleared you," Captain Newley said. "No need to rub it in our faces."

 _Therefore,_ Keats continued, _I am here to offer not a demand, not an ultimatum, but an announcement. At noon tomorrow, my armada will arrive at Earth…and will enact Operation Clean Slate, the ultimate solution to dealing with the problem known as Earth. My Robeasts are already on their way to Earth to ensure nothing prevents the final purge of the planet._

"He's mad," Commander Hawkins said, balling up his fist in anger. "He has gone completely mad!"

 _Many of you are wondering what my demands are. To that I say, there are no demands. No talking your way out of this one. Enjoy your final day on Earth. Eat, drink, and be merry. Tell your loved ones how much you cared during your short, pathetic lives. Make your peace with God._

 _Because tomorrow at noon, every living thing on Planet Earth will be exterminated, and there is nothing you can do to stop me. Not even you Shiro, my brother._

* * *

 _ **Next - Keats has announced his intentions to the world, namely, the complete extermination of all life on Earth! His genocidal plans only have one thing standing in their way, The Voltron Paladins! But can the Paladins and their new allies turn back the final assault on Earth? And who will be the last brother standing?**_

 **Notes for this chapter:**

 **1\. Writing about someone like Keith having a preference with women can be a challenge since I didn't want this to become kink material nor did I want it to insult Keith for having a preference. I hope I was able to make him make sense.**

 **2\. Something else from the Devil's Due Voltron comics that I'm using, Hunk's three older brothers. He was apparently the brains of the family.**

 **As always, enjoy and review. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.**


	16. Mobilize!

"It's begun, and we need to move out immediately on all fronts. This map shows where Galra forces have made their landfall."

Across the world, machines from every nation, along with their commanders, looked on at the face of Commander Hawkins as he broadcasted from the war room of the _Gallant_. Behind him, communications officers worked to ensure that the message was clear, broadcasting to not only his forces, but also the commanders of forces not technically part of Galaxy Garrison.

"This is his extermination plan?" Saber Rider asked. "Where are the battleships?"

"We believe this is merely to soften up our defenses, having been sent ahead of the main fleet in capsules and drop ships. No, the true threat is still outside of Earth orbit, but is set to approach at 12:00pm like he promised. Seeing as it's 6am, and you've all been on standby till we knew what we were up against, it appears he wants to ensure all defenses are wiped out before moving in."

"Do we have enough weapons to take on all these Robeasts, not to mention the tanks and conventional weapons?"

"All semblance of tactics seem to have gone out the window. Keats is throwing as much as he can at us in an attempt to make us cower before delivering the finishing blow. But that just shows he's desperate. Would you agree Commander Shiro?"

Looking on at the conference from a monitor in the Black Lion, Shiro nodded emphatically.

"Keats fancies himself a tactical genius, and while has a talent for analysis, this is just sloppy, using the bigger stick strategy to take down a planet's defenses. We can win if we're smarter."

 _We only need you because you put my jets in the shop you bastard!_

"Lieutenant Tong!" Commander Hawkins barked at the furious face of Daniel on the monitor, one that was quickly shoved out of the way by Larmina.

 _What he means to say is that we won't be able to help until the Volt Machines are fixed, which judging by the last timeframe, may be at least a day, even with everyone pulling double shifts. The engines got absolutely fried, not to mention the airframes themselves are in bad shape._

"Understood Lieutenant Kent. Lion Voltron will be taking your place until later. That is if the Paladins agree to help us."

"No," Lance replied with a joking tone as he looked on at the monitor next to him. "We're going to run from our home planet and play board games on board the Castle of Lions while everyone we love burns."

Slamming his fist into his palm, he said, "Of course we'll help you. Right, guys?"

"We're going to send Keats and the Galra back where they came from!" Allura declared from the bridge of the Castle of Lions. Already it was climbing into outer space to join the defense against the approaching armada.

"Then mobilize while there's still an Earth to defend!" Commander Hawkins shouted. "The lives of six billion humans are in your hands! Super Robot Corps, move out!"

" **ROGER!"**

* * *

The counterattack order had been sent to every base controlled by or even allied with the Galaxy Garrison.

In Europe, a trio of monsters with one eye and cannons over their body were destroying a British city while tanks and jet fighters went in to clean up anything the Robeasts may have missed. They immediately noticed the presence of a red, blue, and black colored machine appearing in front of several older buildings, its sword drawn.

"You won't take another step further monsters, do you hear me?"

The response of the trio of Robeasts was to fire at the combined Gladiator Voltron, which did its best to shield itself from the assault. However, the ensuing blasts prevented Saber Rider from getting close, forced to retreat while he searched for a distance weapon.

"Well, if you want to play it that way then, I'll oblige you!"

Emerging forward with its sword sheathed and a rifle drawn, Gladiator Voltron fired three blasts, each nailing the Robeasts in their eyes. With the machines blinded, it drew its sword and sliced each one, one at a time.

The victory was short-lived, as six more Robeast-sized capsules landed in the city, with various types of machines emerging from them.

"An unskilled warrior is an unskilled warrior," Saber Rider boasted, looking on at his adversaries. "It doesn't matter how many of you there are, I'll cut you all down!"

* * *

A similar story was playing out in numerous locations across the globe. Robeasts, with massive numbers but no coherent plan of attack outside of mass destruction, attacked whatever caught their eye to disorient the defenders below. This included China, where the capital city was under siege by Robeasts in armor resembling the ceremonial armor of Chinese warriors from the Han Dynasty, perhaps a means of artistry from their designers. As he observed them, Amalgamous replied to Commander Hawkins.

"You all have enough problems at it is! We will be able to defend ourselves and will be able to deliver the counter-attack missile strike when called upon! Do not view us at the weak link!"

"Very well then, we'll leave it to you. Remember your promise!"

"I will!" Turning to another monitor, the machine addressed four human pilots.

"We have to do our part! The issues have been worked out of this second prototype, but you must do what your compatriots could not!"

"Understood," replied a black haired woman on the other end of the monitor. As she and her allies took their four jets over the city, they noticed the monsters attacking, smashing buildings and otherwise trying to cause as much damage to the city and its people as they possibly could.

"Well, it's time to show the world what we can do. No sense drawing this out."

"We're ready when you are," another woman replied.

"Alright then. **CROSS FIGHT!** "

* * *

Robeasts, their capsules sent underground, emerged from the bay like the monsters of so many _kaiju_ films. Their approach was meant to invoke the horror of those old films, the unstoppable creatures prepared to destroy Japan with a military utterly powerless to stand in their way.

What they found instead was a battalion of tanks with the giant robot Vytor standing in front of them, its sword drawn and pointed at the invaders.

"This man believes that humanity will cower before his show of power, that in our final hours we will whimper and beg for mercy! No! We will not cower before this madman and his nightmare! CHARGE!"

* * *

"Just sit back, for now, you hear? I've got this!"

The confident voice of Colt did little to assuage the annoyance present in the minds of Daniel, Vince, and Larmina, the trio staring at a large monitor from the control room as conventional army forces came out to meet the transformed RAMROD.

"You've 'got this', really?" Larmina asked. "You sure about that?"

As a group of Robeasts emerged from the desert, various animal/human hybrids meant to envoke a sense of terror, Colt merely smiled.

"More than sure. I'll leave some behind for you if you really want!

* * *

"It's begun."

"What are your orders, General Keats?"

"My orders, Cossack, are for you to remain here and command the fleet. I plan on piloting Stealth Voltron, so I'm going to need you to ensure that nothing disrupts our plans while I deal with the potential greatest threat to them. All you need to do is ensure that we get enough of the cruisers in range for the final assault at the designated locations, and when the time is right, fire."

"We're getting a signal sir. It's apparently Princess Allura."

"Good, then the game is about to enter its final stage. But I have someone who will speak with the princess. You focus mainly on the fleet. Remember, we need those ships in the proper location to make this attack a success."

"In other words, make sure that the barrage hits every place there's a human settlement, right?"

"Precisely," Keats replied.

* * *

Allura stood on the bridge of the Castle of Lions, her faithful assistant Coran by her side, looking on at the ships that were in front of her. As per the strategy of Commander Hawkins, the Castle of Lions would create a warp gate and engage the enemy Galra ships as far away from the planet as possible. If she found herself in trouble, she would retreat by the orbital defense platforms and work in tandem with them.

Judging by the presence of over seventy Galra ships, all launching fighters, she was in trouble.

Of course, actually showing that would undo all the effort that had been made in organizing the defensive plans. She had to remain unflappable, a rock on which not only the Paladins, but the humans who lacked a starship as advanced as the Castle of Lions, could lean on. Any doubt, fear, or questioning of what her father would do had to be cast aside to face the task in front of her.

"Paladins! Are you prepared?" If there was any doubt in Allura's mind, it was purged from her voice, as no fear was reflected from it.

"Of course we're prepared Princess," Lance boasted. "Just let your Blue Paladin handle these clowns and then we can formally celebrate."

"Please don't do anything stupid Lance. I know it's a lot to ask, but…"

"We'll keep an eye on him," Pidge said. Before Allura could respond, however, a transmission came in from the enemy vessels. It was neither Keats nor a Galra, but a familiar, and anger-inducing face.

"You…"

"Hello Princess," began the blond Allura droid, dressed in a pink and white pilot suit akin to Allura's own. "I am here to offer you a single opportunity to surrender. Please, do not be foolish and give up. You are inferior to us and you know it. If you surrender yourself to me, as an Altean, I guarantee you will live."

"Inferior?!" Allura shouted, causing Coran to wince. "Coran! Charge all weapons!" she shouted while pointing at the screen. "We will not allow a single ship to move past us!"

"At once your highness!" Coran yelled, hastily pressing buttons in front of him.

The laser blasts from the Castle of Lions met incoming Galra fighters, which quickly were annihilated by the blasts. But for every one they seemed to destroy, three more took its place.

"We need to target the capital ships!" Shiro noted to the other Paladins. "Keep those fighters off of Allura!"

"Roger!"

The lions each moved to a different area around the Castle, swiping at Galra fighters with claws and energy blasts of their own. Although the fighters were numerous, the lions and their Paladins, who were already experienced in dealing with Galra fighter craft, outmatched them on every front.

"This isn't so tough!" Lance exclaimed. "Maybe we can UGH!"

 _ **ROAR!**_

A black lion with blue lines had just rammed into Lance, roaring at the Blue Lion. Looking on at it, he groaned.

"Why do I even talk?"

"You tell me," a voice responded, one identical to Lance. Looking on at the monitor, he saw a face similar to his, but much paler. The other Paladins all noticed the same, except for Pidge.

"Wait, my counterpart is a guy?"

"Someone mature enough to handle the enemy!" the male Pidge exclaimed. As the four lions stood at attention, a black lion with white lines soon led them, with a familiar voice emerging from it.

"Paladins, did you really think I would let you all wander off and foil my plans? I know you're the greatest threat to my plans, and when I face a threat, I annihilate it, and right now, I will do with Zarkon never could. Destroy Voltron once and for all!"

"You think you can beat Voltron with that dollar store knockoff?" Lance taunted. "I don't think so!"

"Stealth Voltron is superior to the original in every way! Let me demonstrate!" Keats replied.

As the five Stealth Lions flew out of range towards the Galra ships, they prepared to combine. "Ready to form Stealth Voltron. Activate inter-dimensional lock. Stealth servo systems connected. Stealth engines at maximum. Quantum thrusters are go!"

" **LET'S GO STEALTH VOLTRON FORCE!"**

Under the protection of the fire of the Galra battleships, the five Stealth Lions began to combine into the form of a giant robot. All the while, Keats narrated the combination sequence to his co-pilots.

"Form feet and legs! Form arms and torso! And I'll form the head!"

The machine that stood in front of the lions was predominantly black with numerous neon lines indicating the various colors of the lions around it. The stylized "V" symbol stood out from the chest, announcing its presence despite the title of "Stealth" Voltron. Shiro was not impressed.

"You won't catch us off guard this time!" Shiro yelled. "FORM VOLTRON!"

* * *

In Arizona, jets and tanks did their best against the advancing Galra forces, able to hold off the infantry with some difficulty, but finding themselves outclassed by the massive Robeasts which approached the Garrison headquarters, prepared to annihilate it from the face of the Earth. The firing pistols and cannons of RAMROD were the only things keeping the Robeasts from their goal.

Inside, three pilots stared with increasing frustration. Without the means to fight back, all they could do was sit and watch.

"Dammit Doc, tell me there's something we can use!"

Looking at the furious face of Daniel, Professor Wade sighed heavily.

"Normally I don't like playing my cards on the table, but that prototype I mentioned, the Warrior Voltron? If armed it can be ready to go in 20 minutes. But the old Vehicle Voltron is battle tested and ready to go once the repairs are complete, and the prototype hasn't even seen a test flight yet. Do you really wish to fly a prototype machine without any sort of formal testing?"

Surprising everyone, it was Vince who approached the professor, grinning.

"Professor Wade? Who the hell are you kidding?"

"Then get ready to move out! I'll give the orders to the crew to arm and fuel the Warrior Volt Machines!"

The trio ran to the piloting tubes, a renewed sense of hope in their voices. For Daniel, that hope was mixed with a desire for vengeance.

"No way can we die here! I still have a score to settle with Shiro!"

"Will you let it go?" Larmina asked. "We know that they're innocent! Why are we fighting our allies?"

"Simple," Daniel replied. "I loved that car. Besides, you fight with me all the time!"

"Not what I meant dumbass," Larmina replied.

"See?"

"See this."

Without warning, Larmina ran up to Daniel and put her lips to his, causing his eyes to widen in shock. As their lips parted, Larmina went "Just in case."

"There's no way I'm letting anything happen to you now. You know that, right?"

"What about me?" Vince asked.

"Buy me dinner after this," Daniel joked. "Then we'll talk."

* * *

The two Voltrons faced each other, the pilots prepared to finally end their battle, neither making a move. Shiro tensed at the controls, waiting for the enemy to strike.

However, without warning, a warp gate opened, with Stealth Voltron flying directly through it.

"It would be so anti-climactic to kill you here, Paladins! Let's go where we'll have an audience!"

"Get back here!" Shiro yelled as Voltron went through the warp gate. When it emerged on the other side, Shiro realized that he and Voltron were hovering over Earth, Stealth Voltron right in front of it.

"I'd ask why you fight for this pathetic rock," Keats began, "but let's face it, you're not going to listen to what I have to say anyway. Besides, you know the truth. You have to die so that I can truly replace you! There can be only one of us, BROTHER!"

"You're no brother of mine!" Shiro yelled as Voltron dashed forward, ramming Stealth Voltron in the chest. In response the machine hammered Voltron with two strikes to the head, causing it to fall back.

"STEALTH FIRESTORM!"

"Pidge!"

"Way ahead of you!" Pidge shouted as Voltron drew its shield, enduring the battering of laser attacks. Without wasting any time, Stealth Voltron flew forward, preparing to kick the shield out of Lion Voltron's hands.

"HAAA!"

"Lance!"

"Got it!"

Without gravity to impede them, Voltron flipped past the charging mecha, and then continued to flip, kicking Stealth Voltron in its back.

"You won't escape me!" Keats shouted. "IRON MACE!"

A ball and chain formed in the arms of Stealth Voltron as it swung the spiked ball at its target. Unlike the last time they fought, Voltron dodged and darted, using the zero gravity of space to its advantage as it moved in for the killing blow.

"HA!"

A kick from Voltron landed on its stealth counterpart, but the victory was short-lived, as the ball swung behind Voltron, knocking it to one side. Not wasting any time, Stealth Voltron flew forward, clinching Voltron as it began to fire its engines with as much power as they would allow.

"Keats?! What are you doing?!" Shiro asked.

"There aren't enough people who will see your final demise! We're going for a little ride, to Los Angeles! I hope Voltron can survive re-entry because Stealth Voltron can easily!"

"He's insane!" Keith shouted, doing his best to free Voltron from the grasp of Stealth Voltron. A powerful hook soon followed, placing Voltron on top, allowing it to land several blows.

"Keith, we've entered the atmosphere! We're going to get pulled in!"

"Not without Keats we're not!"

A laugh from Keats quickly snapped the Paladins to attention even as they continued to descend.

"That's what you think! Disconnect!"

The five smaller lions split from their combined form, escaping Voltron's grasp as it continued to fall towards the Earth. The Paladins attempted to slow the descent, only for the combined form of Stealth Voltron to get behind them and push the machine towards the surface.

"Let's see you survive this, 'brother'!"

* * *

"FIRE!"

Laser blasts from the Castle of Lions ripped through the group of approaching battlecruisers, the ships moving forward despite the assault of lasers. Allura was quick to realize the issue.

"Coran! They have no sense of self-preservation! What are they doing?"

"It's difficult to say, Princess!" Coran replied. "They're trying to ram us while firing, but our shields are holding out for the moment!"

"Why aren't they all converging…oh no…"

The realization had soon struck Allura as to why the cruisers had tried to crowd her so much. Why she had not been given any space to work with. Looking behind her, she gasped heavily.

"The ships! They've broken through my defensive line!"

Coran had no time to respond as a powerful jolt shook the pair and the ship, a blast from a Galra cruiser, which flew through the debris of previously, destroyed ships attempting to ram the Castle of Lions.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

A concentrated laser blast ripped through the approaching cruiser and the debris in front of the castle, leaving Allura and Coran a clear view of the space in front of them.

It was empty.

"They've all broken through!" Allura exclaimed, her tone one of worry.

"It's fine Princess!" Coran replied. "Attention, Galaxy Garrison. This is the Castle of Lions. We are falling back to Point B to assist the orbital defense platforms! Bear in mind there's going to be a very large Galra contingent approaching Earth!"

 _We will hold out as long as possible and prepare to counter-attack with our defense weapons, but our ground forces are significantly outnumbered! We are extremely limited in how we can provide support!_

"Guess we're on our own Your Highness! The last of the Alteans, once again facing the juggernaut of the Galra Empire! Poetic!"

"Hopefully possible," Allura murmured to herself as the warp gate appeared, the Castle of Lions heading through it towards Earth.

* * *

Anyone who was approaching Earth, if they were looking out a window, would notice the dozens of shooting stars entering the atmosphere, actually Robeasts assaulting the already beleaguered defense forces of Earth. The last of the 'stars' fell by Voltron, but the Paladins were unable to pay attention, their robot rapidly approaching the ground.

"We need to separate!" Hunk said. "Why can't we?"

"It's Keats!" "We're being held in place!" Pidge responded. "I'm gonna keep trying to move her!"

"Do something quick!" Lance yelled as the ground began to rapidly approach. All the while, Keats continued to laugh as the two robots continued to accelerate into re-entry.

"Don't worry, I'll do what you couldn't; destroy Zarkon myself! After I've wiped away Earth of course!"

"You won't!" Shiro shouted, but Keats continued to laugh maniacally.

"FAREWELL, PALADINS!"

* * *

 ** _Next - Even Voltron appears powerless against the massive force emerging to destroy Earth! Can the defenders of Earth turn the tide against the relentless assault? Or have they finally met the fate Keats has promised them?_**

 **Notes for this chapter:**

 **1\. The idea of a ton of monsters and enemy ships vs. a force of giant robots reminds me of the Super Robot Wars games, which are strategy games with this premise. So I went and used that.**

 **2\. Since no one guessed earlier (presumably because they didn't care) Keats is loosely, loosely based on the character Shapiro Keats from the anime _Dancouga_. Curiously enough, he's also the final boss of Super Robot Wars F.**

 **3\. There're only a few more chapters left in this fic, how many I can't say. I can however, say that they'll probably be heavier on the action and lighter on the Paladin interaction given the setting.**

 **In any case, enjoy and review. All manner of feedback is always welcome.**


	17. Full Force

The city of Los Angeles, with its massive skyscrapers, winding roads, and millions of people was a place Pidge had never visited. Her family put simply, never had a reason to go out there. It wasn't a major issue, but she had planned on seeing it when she was older, along with a lot of other cities and tourist attractions, as a means of exploring the world.

In no part of those plans was colliding with the city at terminal velocity and turning her body into jelly.

"We need to get free!" she shouted, doing everything possible to move the left arm of Voltron, struggling against the force of Keats and Stealth Voltron pushing the machine through the atmosphere towards the surface. Finally, after several violent jolts, the shoulder of Voltron had moved just enough to get one clean shot.

She took it without hesitation.

"LASER MAGNUM!"

The six-barreled cannon in the Green Lion's mouth fired towards Stealth Voltron, knocking it off balance and allowing Voltron to free itself from Keats' grasp. A powerful left hook followed, knocking the machine on a downward trajectory into a skyscraper, causing glass and concrete to rain on the city proper.

"Pidge!" Shiro shouted. "There are civilians down there! We can't fight here!"

"What are we supposed to do?" Pidge asked. "I don't think Keats is too inclined to move to another area!"

"Right you are girl!" Keats shouted as Stealth Voltron flew from the building towards the flying form of Voltron. Shiro and the Paladins attempted to move the battle to the outskirts of the city but found Keats blocking their path.

"The line is drawn here, Paladins! Where the invasion of Earth began, so too shall Earth's last hope be snuffed out!"

"I AM TIRED OF YOU! TIRED OF YOUR ARROGANCE!"

A backhand from Voltron knocked Stealth Voltron to one side, causing it to crash outside the city limits as people did their best to avoid the path of the rampaging robots. Undeterred, Stealth Voltron stood again, seemingly none the worse for wear.

"Not as tired as I am of you Shiro! I'm your better in every way; the best of what humanity has to offer! STEALTH MISSILES!"

A barrage of missiles flew into the air towards Voltron, which dodged and darted through the sky, doing its best to get away from the city.

"Below us!" Pidge shouted.

"Mullet boy!"

"Got it!"

 **CLANG!**

The swords of both Voltrons met as they landed on the ground, neither giving up an inch to the other. All the while, Keats snickered.

"This city was the first major one that the Galra attacked. We believed that it would be a quick victory for the Galra. Instead, that damned robot has left us fighting the humans for months in a war that frustrated all of us, and showed me my true calling! This city is symbolic of both humanity's spirit and my failure. I need to destroy it so that when the universe cowers before the mankind made in my image, there is only one example of humanity's power, ME!"

"You're gonna tell us your life story NOW?!" Hunk asked. "I gave up sympathizing with you when you nearly killed my family!"

"Acceptable sacrifices!" Keats shot back, moving Stealth Voltron forward. "I did what I had to do in order to claim victory!"

"And made millions suffer!" Hunk answered, Voltron throwing a kick at Stealth Voltron's head. The kick landed, knocking Keats' machine to the ground.

"FOOT MISSILES!"

A pair of missiles launched out, but they impacted not on the robot, but on a shield held in front of it. From his view in the cockpit of Stealth Voltron, Keats grimaced.

"Well, then we could just cut to the chase and end this now, couldn't we? I'll take your advice, fat boy! VOLT TECH CANNONS!"

"Volt…what?"

On the shoulders of Stealth Voltron appeared two massive cannons, pointed directly at Voltron. The Paladins were prepared to move out of the way when they looked behind them.

The city was directly behind them buildings and people.

"If we move, he's going to rip Los Angeles in half!" Hunk said.

"Typical!" Lance replied. "What do we…"

"SHIELD! NOW!"

"FIRE!"

No hesitation was present in Shiro's voice, ordering that Pidge draws the shield to deflect the massive energy blast that approached them, protecting Voltron as well as the city from the blast. With the shield battered by the force, the group did the only thing they could.

"FULL POWER TO THE SHIELD! HUNK, LANCE, KEEP US STEADY!"

"Got it boss!"

"He's not going to move us!"

* * *

"We're in position, Commander Hawkins. The Galra are approaching!"

 _Destroy all those ships! The Robeast landings seem to have ended, but if those ships get into position, none of this will have mattered!_

"Coran, how are we doing?"

"The Castle seems alright for now but…AAAH!"

The Castle of Lions shook next to the two defense platforms as concentrated cannon fire emerged from the Galra battleships, battering the castle's shields and leaving significant holes in both defense platforms.

 _DEFENSE PLATFORM 1 DAMAGED!_

 _PLATFORM 2 IS STILL UP, BUT WE CAN'T TAKE MUCH MORE OF THAT!_

Human starship technology seemed to lag behind its giant robot technology. Breathing heavily, she focused on the ships ahead.

"CORAN! FIRE!"

A barrage of laser fire went through several Galra battleships, destroying them completely, but others soon rushed to take their place, the concentrated fire hammering away at the castle and its defenses.

"Princess!" Coran yelled. "We're getting pounded here! If this keeps up, the Castle will be destroyed!"

A forceful jolt shook the Castle, knocking Allura to the ground. Looking up, she grimaced. It wasn't just the fighters and capital ships that had come in during the initial assault. There was at least twenty more emerging from warp gates to supplement the Galra forces. Adding to the chaos was a beeping emerging from the communication system.

"The main cruiser is hailing us again!"

The screen sprung to life, revealing not only the woman who shared Allura's name but a Galra commander who wore a spiked helmet and a sinister grin. As she rose to her feet, Allura looked on at the message.

"Hello again Princess Allura," the woman began. "Surely now you see the futility of your resistance. I am here to offer you on behalf of Commander Cossack, one last opportunity to surrender. You and your servant will be allowed to live, as members of Keats' harem of slaves."

"Harem of slaves?!" Allura asked, confused.

"Yes. This is standard operating procedure for all high commanders. Keats took the idea from Admiral Hinlear…"

"Tell Keats that I will sooner die before being made his prisoner!"

The Galra laughed at this, while the droid woman merely stood still, her smile unmoving.

"Then this is goodbye Princess. Just remember how futile your struggle was."

The monitor shut off, and immediately, the cruisers resumed firing _en masse_ at the Castle of Lions. The shields were battered to such a degree that Coran and Allura were both knocked to the ground again. Getting up, Coran turned to Allura.

"Princess! The Castle cannot take this level of firepower! We must retreat!"

Getting to her feet, Allura looked on at the screens in front of her, showing both the fleet approaching, as well as the planet behind her. A trickle of blood went down from her forehead, causing Coran to gasp. However, she brushed it aside and resumed her position. Quickly, she shook her head.

"Coran, I've seen the Galra destroy too many planets, kill too many people. If we flee, then nothing will stop Keats from destroying Earth."

"But Your Highness…"

"I won't let what happened to Altea happen here! Keep firing! If we die, we die in battle!"

Nodding, Coran looked at the targets in front of him, and pressed the button, firing a barrage of lasers at incoming fighters.

"And there's one for you!"

 **BLAM!**

"STEADY!"

* * *

The situation had worsened significantly in Arizona. With the majority of Robeasts having landed there to attack Galaxy Garrison's main headquarters, the area's defenders found themselves outnumbered and outgunned. Even the normally fearless Colt was finding himself running out of both ammo and space to move.

It was that thought that stuck with Daniel, Vince and Larmina as they waited for the signal to take off. The controls of the completely untested fighter craft were right in front of them, familiar yet alien.

"We're only going to get one shot at this!" Daniel said, smiling at the controls of the red fighter craft. "Who's ready to go on a wing and a prayer?"

"When you put it that way, can we just wait?" Vince asked. His black fighter stood ready to be launched, having never seen a single test flight prior. Everything about it was immaculate and brand new, which only worried him more.

"You're the one that suggested this!" Larmina replied. Her large red fighter was set to go, but she didn't share the concern of her two teammates. "Don't wuss out now!"

"Focus everyone. We have no idea what these machines can do! Warrior Volt Machines, LAUNCH!"

The roar of the engines from each jet fighter howled through the air as they approached their targets, a group of Robeasts that charged forward relentlessly.

"We're doing good!" Daniel yelled. "There's no way that we're gonna flop now!"

"These things are a lot peppier than the old ones!" Larmina said.

"I'm losing some feedback in engine 2!" Vince said. "Is this safe?"

"No time to back off now!" Larmina answered.

"She's right!" Daniel finished. "FORM VOLTRON ALPHA! AND I'LL FORM THE HEAD!"

The three machines rapidly began to move into position, parts of each jet contorting and adjusting so that the proper position would be ready for the combined form. After several seconds of this, a robot stood in the air, similar to the old Vehicle Voltron, but with a face covered by a faceplate, larger engines, and in general sharper edges on several key points of the body.

Below, Colt did what he could against the ensuing armies. As a crowd of destroyed Robeasts lay before his feet, he could only look on at the monsters climbing over their fallen comrades to get to the sole thing preventing them from destroying the Garrison.

"You…*huff*, oughta quit, you know!" Colt said before aiming his guns, only to hear a clicking noise. The implication was obvious.

"Alright, I'll do this the old fashioned way!"

RAMROD ran forward, punching two Robeasts, but at that close range, it was soon besieged by four more, which charged forward, attempting to restrain the cowboy-themed mecha.

"Get off!"

Colt and his machine struggled as best they could, but the enemy continued to pile on relentlessly.

"No, not here! I can't die here!"

"VOLT BEAM!"

A powerful laser beam blasted through the head of a Robeast, allowing RAMROD the space to escape from the hold of the enemies restraining him. Two more ran forward once he had moved, attempting to drag him to the ground.

"FISSION PUNCH!"

The Robeasts that ran forward were hit with two powerful fists that knocked their heads clean off, destroying the machines. As they returned to their source, Colt looked on a machine that was familiar yet different at the same time, stronger.

"D…Daniel?"

"You thought we were gonna sit back and let you have all the fun? You're lucky we were able to get these things ready to run!"

"Took your damn time!" Colt yelled. "I'm out of bullets!"

"Luckily us," Larmina said. "Warrior Voltron has got plenty of ammo for these clowns!"

As soon as she said this, a group of Robeasts charged forward, with Warrior Voltron standing in front of RAMROD.

"WING BLASTER!"

The Robeasts that charged forward began to bubble and melt, their metal parts superheated into liquid and turning into puddles of goop before the pair. The remaining Robeasts, unsure of what to do, continued to move in.

"Tell me there's at least a supply plane coming in!" Colt said.

The buzzing of a plane answered the question, with the dropping of several boxes worth of ammo behind RAMROD. Not willing to let the enemy attack while their ally was re-supplying, Warrior Voltron ran forward, charging the enemy head-on.

"Take a good lookGalra!" Daniel boasted. "This is going to be the last thing you ever see!"

* * *

The barrage that struck both Lion Voltron and the Castle of Lions was relentless, even if it was from completely different sources. The Paladins and princess faced the endless barrage in front of them, knowing that even a second of laziness would spell their doom.

In the case of the Paladins, the energy blasts continued to press forward, nearly knocking Voltron down. As the immense force plowed forward, the five couldn't help but think of what they were fighting for.

For Lance, it was his family in Florida, the family he had traversed the cosmos to see again.

For Hunk, it was his parents, the fear of having lost them to a genocidal madman who thought he could replace humanity with himself and a legion of robots. To ensure no one else had to feel the fear he did.

For Pidge, it was the father and brother still lost, that her mission was still incomplete. She had to find them, bring them home.

For Keith, it was the loneliness he felt, and the desires to never have anyone feel what he did.

And for Shiro, it was the cackling madman before him, the one wearing his face, who did his best to spit on everything Shiro stood for.

But even if their thoughts varied, the Paladins were united in their refusal to quit, moving their machine forward through the barrage even as their shield threatened to give out.

" **HAAAAAAAA!"**

Finally, the barrage stopped, with the shield a battered mess, tossed to the ground, but Voltron itself intact.

"We took your best punch!" Lance said, moving Voltron forward. "Now it's our turn!"

"W…what? Impossible!"

A powerful blow sent Stealth Voltron backward, its balance compromised as a cannon formed on the shoulder of Lion Voltron.

"Now try mine!"

A powerful energy blast flew directly at Stealth Voltron, but a shield deflected it the same way Lion Voltron did. Rather than stand still, Stealth Voltron moved out of the way and charged, its sword drawn.

"Your refusal to expire is starting to become frustrating brother! Just let this end peacefully so we can move on!"

"ICE STORM!"

"STEALTH FIRESTORM!"

Fire and ice collided, leaving nothing but steam that both machines hid in. Keats, however, only intensified his taunting.

"Perhaps if you surrender, I'll guarantee your death is quick! Make me draw this out, and…"

 **CLANG!**

"Not on your life!" Shiro shouted as the blades of the two Voltrons met. "Your rampage ends here!"

"It is necessary!"

"You're insane! And I'm going to stop you here, or die trying!"

"Then you will die!"

Swords clashed, as neither Shiro nor Keats was willing to surrender an inch, superior firepower not enough to win the day. It would come down to physical force and will, a will that did not seem to bend for either.

* * *

"Shields are completely down!" Coran shouted. "One more blast and we're finished!"

"Any response from the defense platforms?"

"They've gone silent Your Highness!" Coran replied. "No response, no firing, nothing! It's just us!"

She stared on at the armada closing in, preparing to annihilate her and the Castle of Lions from the stars. But even if this was the end, she would face it with dignity, standing tall before the enemy.

"Coran, thank you. For everything."

Turning to the princess, Coran smiled, nodding.

"Princess Allura, it has been an honor."

A Galra cruiser appeared directly in front of the Castle, with both waiting for the seemingly inevitable end.

It never came.

Instead, like a comet, something went through the decks of the Galra cruiser, splitting it in half. Looking on, Allura gasped.

The 'comet' was a giant robot with a massive spear for an arm cackling with electricity. Its tall, lithe form was easily recognizable as different from Lion Voltron, standing firm on the wreckage of the cruiser it had just destroyed. The machine stared out at the armada, even as the ships began to close in on the single unit.

"W…who is that?"

* * *

 _Earlier:_

 **SLASH!**

The final Robeast had been destroyed by the Garrison base, leaving four very exhausted pilots panting over the pile of scrap metal below them.

"Good show, Danny boy."

"Good nothing. I think I'm gonna get alone with this new car just fine."

The sense of elation and victory was short lived as a broadcast went through all channels, immediately snapping the four pilots to alert.

 _Mayday! Mayday! This is orbital defense! All platforms crippled! The Castle of Lions is crippled! We are about to be….BZZZZT!_

Daniel looked up at the sky above him, knowing what he had to do.

"Colt?"

"I'll handle cleanup. Go!"

"SEPARATE!"

The three machines split and began to fly towards the stars, unrelenting in their approach. As they did so, Larmina raised a notable objection.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked. "We're lucky these things held up in a ground battle! If we go into outer space…"

"If we don't, nothing's going to stop the Galra from opening fire!" Daniel said. "Vince? What do you think?"

Smiling inside his machine, Vince nodded at the question.

"As a wise man once said: victory goes to THOSE WITH COURAGE! FORM VOLTRON BETA! AND I'LL FORM THE HEAD!"

* * *

Pilot," Allura began, hitting the communicator on the console in front of her. "Identify yourself."

Not bothering to turn back to face the Castle of Lions, the voice responded.

 _Princess Allura, this is Lieutenant Vincent Bell of Voltron Force. Retreat for now. We understand your ship has suffered excessive damage._

"What? You intend to take on an entire fleet by yourself?"

 _This is our home. We'll protect it, no matter what!_

* * *

 _ **Next - Earth is approaching the climax of the battle, with the beleaguered sides gathering their strength for one final push! Can the defenders of Earth end the battle decisevely, or are Keats' forces too much for them?**_

 **Looks like this fic will probably have two more chapters after this. As always, enjoy and review. Criticism and comments are always welcome.**


	18. A Mark in History

The two robots continued to clash, swords clanging against each other with the streets emptying of everyone save the two combatants. Back and forth they exchanged blows, until finally, Stealth Voltron flew backward, away from the reach of its opponent's blade.

"Give up?" Lance asked.

"Hardly," Keats replied. "I don't need to defeat you in a sword duel to kill you!"

Without warning, Stealth Voltron vanished, with only Keats' echoing voice remaining as a taunt.

 _You can die along with the rest of the rejects on this planet!_

"Is he trying to sneak up on us?" Keith asked.

"No," Shiro answered. "He doesn't need to. He just needs to stall us!"

The others immediately knew what this meant. Taking to the skies, they headed for the battleships that were currently encircling the Earth. It stood to reason that Keats had retreated there in order to let the barrage of his warships do what he could not.

However, this theory was violently contradicted by the sudden impact that hit Voltron before it could clear the atmosphere, knocking it to one side as its engine struggled to keep the massive machine afloat.

 _HAHAHA, too easy!_

Stealth Voltron reappeared in front of the Paladins, its arms extended to fire at the enemy.

"STEALTH FIRESTORM!"

A barrage of lasers approached Voltron, the Paladins doing everything they could to avoid the blasts, moving at razor thin margins away from the beams of energy.

"This is getting too close for comfort!" Lance yelled. "How far are we from the Castle?"

"Too far!" Keith replied. "Let's keep moving!"

"No, you don't!"

Stealth Voltron quickly moved, tackling the Paladins' robot in midair as it attempted to drag it back to the surface. This time, however, they were ready.

 **SLASH!**

"ARGH!"

The fangs of the Red and Green lions ripped through the back of Stealth Voltron, causing it to let go of its grip. Immediately, the Paladins resumed climbing towards space, desperately hoping that they weren't too late to save Allura and the Castle of Lions, knowing that it was the last line of defense for Earth.

"DIVIDE AND CONQUER!"

From where Stealth Voltron once stood, five streaks of light shot out, each hitting Voltron in one of its body parts, once again dragging it towards the ground. As the bright light cleared itself, it revealed the five individual lions clawing at the individual parts of Voltron.

"This is no good!" Shiro shouted. "Separate!"

The five individual lions and their paladins separated from the combined form of Voltron, each attempting to fight the Stealth lion of the respective color. Unfortunately for them, they were only able to strike a single blow before the five sped off, re-combining into the single form of Stealth Voltron.

"Right where I want you, Paladins!" Keats shouted. "Particularly you, GIRL!"

"Pidge!" Shiro shouted, even as Stealth Voltron loomed over the Green Lion, its sword drawn and ready to strike.

"NO!"

Without warning, the Blue Lion rammed into Stealth Voltron, knocking it off balance while firing an ice blast which encased the machine, sending it plummeting."

"Thanks," Pidge said.

"What did you tell me about getting sappy?"

"Heh."

"Did we get him?" Hunk asked. Immediately Hunk's question was answered by the sound of ice cracking and Stealth Voltron flying towards them.

"You fools! While you fight me, your precious princess, the last of the Alteans, draws her last breath!"

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!"

The sudden shout from Keith surprised even the other Paladins as a giant cannon formed on the Red Lion, blasting the advancing black machine. Unfortunately for Keith, a circular shield deflected said blast, which kept the strike from ever touching Stealth Voltron.

"I've struck a nerve, haven't I? Well if my men don't kill her, trust me Red Paladin, I will ensure she endures a fate worse than a thousand deaths!"

"Keith!" Shiro shouted.

"I know," Keith replied. "I can't get over-emotional again."

"That and no single lion is going to defeat this thing. RE-FORM VOLTRON!"

* * *

The battlecruisers showed no fear at the sight of the single robot in front of them. The crippled Castle of Lions stood behind them, its crew still willing to fight but too damaged to without being completely destroyed. Reluctantly, the crew looked on while trying to restore their weapons and shield.

"OK guys," Daniel said. "Forty-five or so cruisers, and one us. At least fifteen minutes before we get help."

"Hey, Dan?" Larmina asked.

"What?"

"Shut up. Vince has got this."

"I appreciate the kind words," Vince replied. "Let's go!"

Wasting no time, Voltron Beta flew high above the cruisers, its lance ready to strike.

"THUNDER SPEAR STRIKE!"

The robot flew through space like a streak of light, piercing the hull of a Galra cruiser and darting between it like a needle through a patch of cloth. The end result was a destroyed cruiser and a barrage of lasers striking the debris. The triumphant mood on Commander Cossack's battlecruiser had become rather angered, rather quickly.

"What is that thing? I thought we had accounted for all resistance on Earth!"

"MISSILE CIRCUS!"

A barrage of missiles emerged from the debris, firing every which way and landing on two nearby battlecruisers, leaving massive holes in both.

"How is this happening?" Cossack yelled. "Move us to the rear of the line!"

"At once," the female robot answered. Immediately, the crew of the battlecruiser began to move their vessel towards the rear, while other cruisers and their fighters moved forward to provide cover, blasting all the while.

"We don't have enough firepower to take on all of them!" Vince said.

"We don't need to!" Daniel responded. "Remember, this thing uses the power of the entire cosmos! We can figure something out!"

"Dan," Larmina began, "this thing is untested as it is! What are you…"

"COSMIC CHARGE!"

Emerging from the wreckage of the second battlecruiser was Warrior Voltrons Alpha form, careening through the ships in front of it with an otherworldly glow. The battlecruiser in front of it, seemingly impervious to assault, tore apart like tissue paper as the robot flew through it, leaving nothing but devastation in its wake. A second cruiser that began moving in to fire met a similar fate, its engine room rammed by the shielded machine and exploding.

"FIRE!"

What met Warrior Voltron when it emerged from the second cruiser was a barrage of heavy cannon fire and missiles. Rather than fly into them, the trio and their machine flew upwards, looking down at the ships firing.

"Right where I wanted you bastards!" Daniel yelled. "COSMIC ROAR!"

The energy that surrounded Warrior Voltron was collected into a massive ball of energy, flung at the cruisers. The three in the center were destroyed while the two on the edges were brushed with debris and residual energy, continuing to fire.

"Five minutes so far," Vincent said. "Daniel, can we keep this pace up?"

"We have to," Daniel responded. "We have no clue if Amalgamous' forces will be ready!"

"Well be careful!" Larmina shouted. "We're using power like it's going out of style! If something blows out we're sitting ducks!"

To accentuate that fear, several fighter jets moved towards Warrior Voltron, pelting it with laser fire. They soon met the blade of the machine, held aloft as it floated in space.

"Hey, if we go," Daniel replied as Warrior Voltron moved forward, "we're taking as many as these bastards as we can with us!"

* * *

"You've got nowhere left to run Keats," Shiro said as the combined form of Voltron stood in front of its stealth counterpart, miles above the ground. "We've taken your best shots, and we're still here! You're out of tricks!"

"Am I?" Keats asked. "I think I have one last trick right here!"

The right arm of Stealth Voltron rose, but what emerged was not a blade, shell, or beam. It was a large net, which entangled Voltron, preventing it from moving.

"What the? Get this thing off!" Hunk yelled.

Immediately, the arms of Voltron ripped through the net, allowing the Paladins to look up, seeing Keats and Stealth Voltron clearing the atmosphere. Immediately they took off after him.

"Princess Allura!" Keats yelled into the communicator in his cockpit. "When you see the other Alteans in hell, tell them that it was Voltron that sent you!"

Allura could only look on at the face of Stealth Voltron directly in front of the bridge of the Castle of Lions. Its shields were battered and its weapons not charged. Meanwhile, the humans Voltron had gone off to engage the fleet itself. She was defenseless, having mere seconds to steel herself for the inevitable sword strike.

"KEATS! WE'RE YOUR OPPONENTS, NOT HER!"

 **CLANG!**

"Damn you, Paladins! How did Voltron get here so fast?"

Looking up, Allura saw not the end, but Voltron, sword drawn, engaging Stealth Voltron blade to blade. Their struggle continued despite the obvious damage on both machines, neither willing to surrender.

"This is pointless, don't you see? One robot is all you have between my fleet and the complete annihilation of Earth! You've lost Paladins! Lost!"

"We haven't lost yet!" Shiro shouted. "I'm going to clear my name!"

"I'm going to keep my family safe from you!" Hunk added.

"So am I!" Lance yelled.

"I'm going to find my brother and father!" Pidge exclaimed.

"And I'll be dead before you lay one hand on the princess!"

"Wait," Lance asked confused. "Keith, I should be saying that!"

"What?"

"I'll tell you what, mullet boy! You're…"

"FOCUS EVERYONE!"

 **CLANG!**

"This farce ends now!" Keats shouted. "All I need to do is stall you for a bit longer, and victory over Earth is guaranteed!"

As if on cue, three objects moved past the two machines fighting. Keats turned to face them but was hit from behind.

"We're your opponent, remember?"

"What? What have you done?"

* * *

Cannon fire and missiles continued to occupy every square inch of the battlefield by where Warrior Voltron was. The battlecruisers, having realized the futility of engaging the machine up close, began to move away, taking a roundabout route towards the planet while attempting to drown the machine in cannon fire. On the bridge of his command ship, the doubt and fear that had once gripped Commander Cossack had disappeared like a fog in the morning, replaced with his usual confidence.

"HAHAHAHA! You see the futility of this game Earth? We may have lost a few ships on the way, but the end result is the same. Your complete and utter destruction!"

"We will be in firing range of the target in three minutes, Commander."

Cossack groaned slightly at the robot's insistence as using the human timekeeping system, but if that was the worst thing he had to deal with today, it would be minor.

"Full speed ahead! Victory is within grasp!"

The ships moved forward, their cannon fire relentless against the single opposing form in front of them. The three pilots of Warrior Voltron realized the immense difficulty of the task before them even as they tried to move out of the way of the cannon barrages.

"This is no good!" Vince said. "We can't get close enough to attack!"

"And they're almost in firing range!" Larmina shouted. "Dan, we need something!"

"Like what!? Ask them politely to stop firing?"

 _How about asking for some help?_

"What?"

Looking to their right, the trio of pilots noticed three machines in front of the Galra cruisers, cruisers that had their weapons trained solely on Warrior Voltron.

"STAR NOVA BARRAGE!"

"GRAND SABER STRIKE!"

"Heavy cannon, FIRE!"

The weapons of the familiar trio of Vytor, Gladiator Voltron, and RAMROD ripped through the unaware ships, tearing several of them to pieces. The remaining ships were in disarray, dividing their fighter compliments and weapon barrages amongst the four.

"Sorry about the wait," Saber Rider began. "It took a bit longer than I thought to take care of all those Robeasts. Simple creatures mind you, and easily bested at the end, but numerous, and tiresome to face."

"But hey, we're here now!" Colt added.

"Shame Amalgamous decided not to join us," Fireball added.

 _I'll have you know that while you are up there our forces have repelled the last of the Robeasts! It's time to move friends! We are launching the missiles!"'_

"Let's go!" Vince shouted. "FORM VOLTRON BETA! AND I'LL FORM THE HEAD!"

"Don't got to tell me twice!" Colt said. "BISMARK, CONVERT TO FLIGHT MODE!"

The four machines flew off from the battlefield as fast as their engines could take them, causing Cossack to laugh, as he poured a glass of wine from a nearby bottle.

"Cowards. They must know defeat is inevitable!"

"Sir!" the female android began. "We have several large objects approaching us!"

"What? What kind of…"

Looking ahead, Cossack saw exactly what said objects were. Specifically, the Red Army's intercontinental ballistic missiles turned on the Galra warships with their nuclear payloads.

"Shoot them…"

 **BOOM!**

* * *

Half a battlefield away, Keats saw the explosion. His entire fleet wiped away in an instant. He did the only thing he could at the sight.

He screamed, the jet engines of Stealth Voltron taking it as far away from the battlefield as it could.

"You fools!" Keats shouted. "You think you've won?! You've only delayed the inevitable!" Flying off, he began to mutter, even as Voltron flew away in pursuit.

"It's not fair! They ganged up on me!"

"Hold it right there!" Shiro shouted, but Keats and Stealth Voltron continued to fly away as fast as its engines could take them. As it flew off, directly in front of Stealth Voltron, a warp gate opened, which it began to enter into.

"I will have my revenge on Earth, Paladins! Mark my words! You have not seen the last of me!"

"No, you're not getting away!" Shiro shouted. "You're not getting away this time!"

As Shiro said this, the five Bayard holes in each lion began to open, as if they were reacting to Shiro's anguished cries.

"What the?"

"Put them all in I guess!" Hunk said.

"But we don't have the Black Bayard!" Pidge answered.

"It doesn't matter!" Shiro said. "Do it!"

Nodding, the four placed their bayards into their slots. What appeared was not a new weapon, but the sword of Voltron glowing an unearthly blue. Shiro nodded, knowing what the Black Lion was trying to say, knowing what he had to do.

"HEY KEATS! ONE LAST PRESENT FROM EARTH FOR YOU!"

Like a dart, Voltron's sword was thrown through the warp gate before it could close, striking Stealth Voltron square in its back. The machine exploded in a massive fireball just as the warp gate closed behind it, taking all of its pilots with it.

"Then I was the wrong brother?" Keats said in his last few moments. "Then you Shiro, you can defeat Zarkon, and bring humanity to its full potential."

The last thing the Paladins saw before the warp gate closed was the explosion consuming Stealth Voltron, ensuring that wherever it had gone, there was only flame and debris remaining. With the task completed, the Paladins and Voltron turned to the Castle of Lions.

"Princess, Coran," Shiro began. "Are you alright?"

"Well, it was a bit touch and go there for a moment," Coran said, "but we seem to be alright now."

"Well, now what?" Pidge asked.

"The Castle will still need repairs. We're not going anywhere for a few days."

 _Hey!_

Turning around, the Paladins noticed the forms of the four robots from the Super Robot Corps, standing tall despite the heavy amount of damage all four seemed to have sustained in their respective parts of the battle. Looking on at Voltron and its damage, Daniel smirked.

"Still alive, huh Shiro? Good. Hate to see someone else beat you before me."

"What my dumbass partner is trying to say," Larmina interrupted, "is that we appreciate the help."

"I am not doing this in space," Lance said, moving Voltron forward. "Come on guys. Let's go home."

* * *

The various machines and the Castle of Lions stood on the shore of San Vernando beach in Cuba, conquering heroes having returned from a grand struggle. The locals didn't seem to mind their presence, many taking photos as the numerous super robots stood among the setting sun. The chinks in their armor and cracks amongst the various parts reflected the conditions of their pilots, battered, but still whole.

Breathing heavily, Lance removed his helmet, emerging from the Blue Lion's cockpit. He smiled.

"I haven't seen this place in forever," he said.

"Is that why you dragged us out here?" Keith asked, removing his helmet.

"Oh come on. It's scenic. Look at that sun. Look at the beach! Look at the ladies!"

"You nearly got killed and that's all you can think about?" Pidge asked. "Jeez, you really do have a one-track mind."

"Hey, I work hard, but I also play hard."

"What about getting some food?" Hunk asked. "Saving the world works up an appetite, and who knows how much longer we can have real food again?"

"Oh come on, we can't even enjoy the sunset first?" Lance asked.

"Still, your friend is right," Saber Rider said, emerging from the cockpit of Gladiator Voltron in a black flight suit. "It is quite a nice view."

"Really makes you consider what we're fighting for, doesn't it?" Colt said.

"Is this the part where we're all supposed to run towards the sunset?" Daniel asked. "Because I'm really tired and I'd rather just chill out here for now."

"Oh what, you don't want company?" Larmina asked, having moved over to where Daniel was seated.

"OK, this is the kind of sappiness I can get behind."

"You two are impossible!" Vince said.

"Yeah," Daniel joked, "impossibly good."

"Is that why you've been obsessed with fighting me even when we're on the same side?" Shiro asked sarcastically, removing his helmet.

"Not now. Enjoying victory. Besides, you should be happy, now that your double is gone for good."

"Keats was a pawn," Shiro answered. "Trust me, I'm glad he's gone, but at the end of the day, he was just a cog in the machine."

"Yeah, but he was a cog dragging your name through the mud."

"He was a handsome bastard," Shiro began, "and a liar. But he was still the same as any other Galra commander. This war won't end until we get Zarkon."

"Well, we can worry about that tomorrow. Today, we celebrate!"

Looking on at the beach from the ground were Allura and Coran, both smiling at the others heroes and their victory.

"Allura, that was rather close, wasn't it?"

"Yes, Coran. It was close. But you know what?"

"What Your Highness?"

"In the end, it was all worth it. We saved Earth from the Galra and defeated their copy of Voltron. If we can do that here, we can win this war."

"Well Your Highness, I would suggest we worry about those things later."

"Of course Coran," Allura answered, sitting down on the sandy beach, watching the sun continue to set.

* * *

 _ **Next - The battle has been won, but are the Paladins really ready to return to space? How will Earth remember the Voltron Paladins after all of this? Has Pidge forgotten to take care of something? And is Earth truly safe, even now?**_

 **Notes for this chapter are mostly that I really, really hope I was able to provide a satisfying conclusion to this battle, and that at the same time, I hope that the OC's (or rather, the characters adapted for this fic) didn't overshadow the Paladins themselves.**

 **Enjoy! Comments and criticism are always welcome, as I keep saying. If I'm doing something wrong, tell me! If I'm doing something right, tell me that too.**


	19. Return to Duty

The music was loud in the back of the house by the pool, mixed with casual conversation amongst the many guests. Insistent that they not go without a proper goodbye to their son, Lance's parents chose to invite him and the rest of the group over for what was essentially a farewell party. The grill by the pool sizzled with the sound of meat cooking and many of the guests partaking in burgers and hot dogs, while coolers nearby ensured everyone was satiated. Throughout the area, the various Paladins were either being engaged in small talk with the guests, while Allura and Coran experienced music quite different from any they had heard on a regular basis, asking numerous questions about everything from the music to the food to the drinks with various members of Lance's family.

For Lance, it was just nice to see everyone again, family members he hadn't seen in years, coupled with some who he had to remind exactly who he was (Not that he minded declaring himself Earth's savior). He had no idea when he would be able to return, and did his best to enjoy the time he had, enjoying a hot dog and moving in between various people. Hunk, who was holding a hamburger, stood next to him.

"It was nice of your family to invite us over like this."

"Hey, we deserve the break," Lance replied, eating the hot dog. "Besides, it's not like I get to introduce new friends every day now!"

"Well it was nice of you to let my parents come along," Hunk responded, looking over at Mr. and Mrs. Garrett speaking with a few of the guests, the group laughing for a bit.

"It's no problem man. What's the alternative? Being stuck at the Garrison?"

"Well Shiro was…mmph, insistent we go."

"Shiro had an office," Lance reasoned.

* * *

"You kept my stuff?"

"Yes, Captain Shirogane. It is policy to ensure that we have to keep the personal effects of all ranked personnel killed in the line of duty, which is what we believed you were."

"What about me?" Lance asked, standing with the other Paladins besides Shiro. Staring at him, the receptionist, an older man with graying hair and a flat tone of voice, looked up to answer.

"The personal effects of cadets are thrown away if not collected within 30 days. I have no way of knowing if your items were collected.

Lance appeared deathly pale hearing this, a fact that Keith couldn't help but laugh at.

"What's with you? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Let's just say there's stuff of mine that I rather my parents hadn't seen when they came to collect my stuff."

"Oh really?"

"Like you're any better, amazon chaser!"

The two continued to yell at each other but Shiro paid them no mind. He looked on at the photo of family members that had since died, a mother who hadn't been heard from since the invasion began, and photos of him with his old colleagues. Taking the box, he uttered a quick "Thank you" before walking off.

"I'm going to head back," Shiro explained. "We'll catch up."

Walking away from the arguing of the Red and Blue Paladins, Shiro continued down a hallway until he saw a familiar face, and one he was not expecting to see him off.

"Lt. Tong."

"Actually, it's Captain Tong now," Daniel explained. "Larmina, Vince, and I all got a promotion for helping deal with Keats for good."

"Are you still looking for a fight?" Shiro asked. "I don't plan on staying on Earth very long."

"Right, you and the other kids are supposed to head off into deep space to fight the big boss himself. Do me a favor."

"What?" Shiro asked.

"Stay safe until you take care of him. We'll settle up when you get back."

Smiling, Shiro nodded.

"That seems fair. Just make sure you and your team keep Earth safe while we're gone. I'd hate to come back and find out you're not around for us to settle things."

"Will do," Daniel replied with a smirk. Walking off, he turned around the corner, seeing a smiling woman.

"Well, well, you really can't let things go, can you?"

"We struck a…agreement Larmina. We stay alive, he stays alive, and we settle things when he gets back."

"You're a brat sometimes," she went as the pair walked down the hallway.

"And you love me for it," Daniel joked.

"No, I love you DESPITE that. Or maybe that's just the adrenaline rush from all the flying."

"Works for me," Daniel said, getting close to Larmina. She playfully batted him aside but the two soon met in a kiss, looking on at each other while giggling slightly.

"You know I feel bad not having Vince come with."

"Next time."

"Next time?" a voice asked. Turning around, Daniel, with his hand on his head, quickly changed his tune.

"Did I say next time? I meant tonight! How rude of me…heheh."

* * *

Walking down to the cooler, Lance saw the smiling face of his uncle Raymond, holding a bottle in his hand as he saw the pair by him.

"Lance the superhero now, huh?"

Laughing, Lance said "I guess. The Blue Paladin does sound like a superhero name."

"Well, that or a Pow…"

"Uh, NO," Lance interrupted. "We are totally not like that. We're way cooler. Speaking of," he continued, opening the cooler up, "we could use a drink."

"Well if you're heading back into space, I guess you deserve a few to see you off."

"Exactly."

Both Lance and Hunk opened their bottles, but before he could drink his, a forceful hand grabbed Hunk on the shoulder.

"Son, you're not 21. What are you doing?"

"Oh come on Dad!" Hunk protested. "I'm old enough to save the Earth, I'm not old enough to have a beer?"

"Not while you're my son you're not."

"Oh come now," Mrs. Garrett said, looking on her husband. "Just this once. Let's be honest, he's not going to be near the stuff any time soon after this."

"Yeah!" Hunk said, only to be silenced by a quick glare from his father.

"I suppose it's not every day my son stops a tyrant bent on destroying the planet. Fine. But just for tonight, and no more than three. Understood?"

Nodding, Hunk put the bottle to his lips, a slight awkward face forming when he chugged the alcohol. Raymond, who had been observing the scene the entire time, laughed and patted Hunk on the back.

"You'll get used to it. It tastes a lot better when you do."

"Sure," Mr. Garrett replied. "When he's older."

Turning around, Hunk and Lance noticed someone else enjoying a drink, while speaking with several guests.

"I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I don't understand why humans are so obsessed with different kinds of foods! It's so inefficient to have to do things when you can just rely on one type of processed food and be done with it!"

"You say that," a guest shot back, "but you haven't had the steaks yet!"

"I will admit that the hamburgers were rather good, but it seems rather needless."

"Coran?" Lance asked. "How many did you have?"

"You mean the alcohol? Just two so far. Trust me, I learned my lesson from the other day when we went to the baseball stadium."

* * *

I could hit it father than that guy! Look at him! Those muscles are just for show!"

Lance did his best to hide the look of embarrassment from Coran's rambling. The Altean had finished his fourth drink, and despite his insistence to the contrary, it was clear that alcohol had the same effect on Alteans that it did on humans, and in fact, may have worked a bit faster given how much he was hollering.

"Coran, do you have to do this?"

"I'm just saying Lance," Coran replied as he sat back down in his seat, "that I've seen your 'baseball' and I do believe that I could do better than most of the people on the field."

"And so do half the people watching on TV," Lance muttered.

 **CRACK!**

Coran's expert observations on a game he had known existed for all of a week were interrupted by the thunderous crack of a bat against the baseball, sending it flying into the stands.

"I've got it!"

"Coran!" Lance yelled, but it was too late. The intoxicated handyman had already climbed on top of his seat, leaping into the air to catch the baseball in front of him. Surprisingly enough, it fell into his hands.

"See? Was that so hard?"

"Coran!"

It was then that Coran realized one of the bigger hazards of leaping for a catch. Namely, that if one leaps for a catch, they must be mindful of how they land, lest the ball gets away from them. It becomes especially hazardous when rows of chairs are below you instead of flat ground, compromising footing.

 **CRASH!**

"My beer!"

* * *

My back is still a bit sore actually."

"I'm not surprised," Lance said. As he walked off, he heard Hunk ask about a certain promise from the other crowd goers.

"The steaks? Yeah, those are later, though. You just had lunch!"

"But after this," Hunk answered, "it's right back to the food goo. Food. Goo."

"We fought an insane clone of Shiro, not one but two combining anti-Voltrons, and an entire armada of Galra battleships. We can handle some food goo."

"So what do we do till then?"

Looking up, Lance saw Allura and a few guests speaking, the woman listening intently to the stories of an old lady.

"I think I know," Lance said, but his swagger was immediately interrupted by the presence of a man next to Allura.

"Keith…"

"What?" Hunk asked. "You didn't even think he would be coming."

* * *

Keith sat in the hall of the Castle of Lions looking over the book Pidge had given him, _The Enlightenment and Modern Culture,_ a rather thick hardcover on the titular Age and its effect on human history. Why did Pidge see fit to give him this?

 _Trust me, you'll need it later._

That was all she said before going off a few hours ago, apparently having been told that someone was at a Garrison post asking to meet with her about something. What he didn't know.

Watching TV in the main hall, bored out of his mind, a familiar presence sat next to him, eyeing the book in his hands.

"So, what do you have there?"

"P…princess," Keith answered, showing her a copy of the book. Taking it from him, she began looking it over.

"So, you did want to give me another lesson, didn't you, my little Paladin?"

It all clicked in Keith's head why Pidge had given him the book, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to thank her or curse her for the gesture. It also made perfect sense that Pidge would give him a topic as weighty as the Enlightenment to teach Allura over say, Italian food or romance films.

He had little time to think about it. Allura had literally flung Keith over one shoulder, her strength effortlessly keeping him aloft. As he looked downward, he could see the ground getting further and further away, realizing that Allura was turning back to her Amazonian form from the other day, an utterly massive being of power mixed with femininity.

She didn't see the smile on his face until he was deposited inside her bedroom, the massive princess looming over Keith.

"I take it you like what you see?"

Keith nodded, dropping the book, attempting to grab what was in front of him, but he was quickly pinned to the bed by a powerful arm.

"You were going to teach me about the contents of that book, were you not?" Allura asked, her face quivering into a cute pout. "There's so much about human culture that I don't know yet."

"Then let me educate you."

He began to read the contents, offering his own comments on events and people. As he did so, she let him up from the bed, allowing him to feel every inch of her body. Occasionally, he would linger on a word or a point the same way he did on a body part, feeling them, teasing her with a cliffhanger just long enough for her to show a desire for it, at which point he would relent and resume.

 **KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK**.

"Hey, Princess? I was wondering if you wanted to…well…"

"Lance!" Allura exclaimed. "Quick, hide!"

"Hide?" Keith asked, only to be violently shoved into a closet, unable to move as he was crammed between several dresses, suits, and other items.

"Come in."

From the other side of the door was Lance, wearing his usual cocky grin as he looked inside.

"Princess?"

"Yes?" Far from the muscular amazon that had listened to Keith intently, the Allura in front of Lance was her slender, seemingly petite form. She tried to wear the smile on her face genuinely, just waiting for when the Blue Paladin would unleash a lame pick up line that would inevitably make her groan.

"My parents, the ones you met back in Florida? They thought it would be a nice gesture to throw a party to see us off tomorrow since the ship is almost ready. I was wondering if you wanted to come so I could introduce you to everyone."

"Really? That's very nice of them. And I did enjoy your mothers cooking. Tomorrow, you said?"

"Yeah. You can see where the McClain charm comes from. Maybe afterward we can make some fireworks of our own."

There was the obnoxious pickup line.

"I promise I'll see you tomorrow."

"Looking forward to it," Lance replied, winking before taking his leave.

With the door shut and Lance went for the moment, Allura opened the closet door, allowing Keith to fall out with several dresses on top of him. Looking up, he saw Allura grinning at him.

"Well then, shall we continue our lesson, little man?"

Keith offered a smile, removing himself from the pile of clothes and picking his book up.

"Now where were we, little man?"

* * *

What are you doing mullet boy?" Lance asked.

"Enjoying the party. The one you invited me to, remember? I was talking with your grandmother and a few of the other guests. Very nice people. Makes me wonder how you turned out the way you did."

"Lance?" Hunk asked, looking on at the brown haired boy sizing up his obstacle.

"I'm surprised you're not brooding in the corner with a drink."

"Now that would just be anti-social," Keith said.

"Well go be social over there," Lance answered, clearly annoyed at Keith not taking the subtle hint.

"Why?"

"Because you've been scaring the people around you! Poor Abuelita is probably terrified!"

"Actually," the old woman by Lance replied, "he's been nothing short of a gentleman."

Smiling, Keith leaned back with his drink, saying, "I'll think I'll stay right here."

Lance could only offer an angry stare at Keith, a stare that did not go unnoticed by two other guests.

"Are they always like this?"

"Most of the time. It's a cover for their unrequited crushes on each other."

Lance's eyebrow raised at Pidge's voice. Turing around, he prepared to once again re-assert his masculinity as well as his annoyance with both Keith and her, but when he turned around, he was surprised to see a middle-aged woman next to her.

"Um, hello Miss…"

"Missus, actually," the woman responded.

"Lance?" Pidge began. "This is my mom."

* * *

She had no idea why she was called away back to the Garrison headquarters, having filled out all the paperwork and being cleared of all charges. Were they going to throw a parade or something? Were they still wondering how she was able to pass for a boy? (It's amazing what short hair and forged records can let a person get away with, although she was sick of the people suggesting more…complicated solutions). What could have possibly warranted them to call her in?

"Katie."

"M…mom."

In the hall in the Garrison office was Mrs. Holt, wearing an expression of worry with a pair of jeans and a shirt. She didn't waste any time, immediately embracing Katie.

"Why didn't you let me know?" she asked. "Why did you run off like that?"

"Mom…" Katie began, "it's complicated."

"Complicated? I lost your father and your brother. I thought I lost you too. When I heard that you were still alive, I flew out here as fast as I could to make sure I didn't miss you again."

"That's why I didn't want to see you," Katie replied, her tone accentuated with a clear air of guilt. "I've been looking for Dad and Matt for months, and I don't know where they are. I want us to be together again."

"And I'm sure that you will find them," Mrs. Holt responded, looking at her daughter square in the eye. "But I wouldn't have been ashamed of you for any reason, and you know that!"

"Mom…"

"My daughter saved the Earth! The Stoker's kids are barely able to graduate college! I'm more proud of you than you could ever know, and I'm sure your father and Matt would say the same thing."

Katie was normally not one for grand displays of emotion, but hearing this, she burst into tears, her mother hugging her again.

"You know I'm going to be leaving in a few days, right? I haven't…given up looking for them."

"You must do what you think is right, Katie," Mrs. Holt replied. "But know I'll always be proud of you, no matter what happens. Don't hide from me the next time you visit."

"OK," was Katie's short reply.

* * *

Time passed, more alcohol was consumed, steaks were eaten, and in the midst of an argument, both Keith and Lance found themselves flung into the pool with all their clothes on. It was a moment, that even when sopping wet, Lance wanted to last forever. Even if mullet boy was there.

Alas, the night grew late and everyone began to depart, wishing the Paladins luck and good health before they prepared to return to space. Sure enough, the day passed, and the Castle of Lions, along with Voltron itself, began lifting off from the atmosphere following a brief ceremony, and the five Paladins packing as many things as they could, like food, personal effects, and other items to avoid homesickness. During said ceremony, Commander Hawkins handed the team medals to commemorate their bravery in defending the Earth, before formally sending them off to the stars to resume their journey.

With a thunderous roar and the approval of the gathered crowd, the Castle of Lions flew off into space with its robot escort. Nearby, several other machines began approaching, but Shiro was unconcerned.

"Don't worry. They're friendlies."

First approaching was the transformed form of RAMROD, its 'hat' glistening in the sun of the clear blue sky.

"We had some fun out there, didn't we guys?"

"Sure did Colt," Hunk replied. "Maybe next time we get together we can do something that doesn't involve us getting shot at."

"I'll let you set that up, big man."

Next in the line of escorts was the form of Vytor, surprisingly enough, with two people inside, Fireball and a blond woman.

"Lance, be safe. May your blade always be true."

"Uh, same to you," Lance replied. "Who's the lovely lady?"

"April," the woman replied. "I'm the assistant for Vytor and Captain Hikari."

"Assistant?" Lance asked, only for Fireball to chuckle before flying off. The annoyance on Lance's face was palpable.

As they flew higher into the stratosphere, two more machines flew by Voltron and the Castle of Lions, performing their escort duties.

"What I don't get," Pidge said, "is how that machine is called 'Gladiator Voltron'. It doesn't look a thing like Voltron!"

"I'll ask the boys in R&D that," Saber Rider replied. "You stay alive long enough so I can give you the answer!"

"Deal!" Pidge said.

Finally, the form of Warrior Voltron flew next to the Lion Voltron, extending its hand. Voltron's right arm took it, the machines shaking hands as best they could given the hand of Lion Voltron was a lion's jaw.

"Next time Shiro."

"DAN!"

Chuckling, Shiro nodded.

"Next time Daniel."

Flying off, Daniel went, "See Larmina? I told you we reached an understanding."

"I guess so. Now I just need to keep your dumb ass alive for your stupid promise!"

"The thought of you doing that keeps me going."

With the formalities done with and the members of Earth's defenses having returned to rebuild and redouble their defenses against the world, while the Lions had docked with the Castle, preparing for their next mission.

"Well," Shiro began, "ready to go back to work?"

"Do we have a choice?" Hunk asked.

"Nope."

"Then I suggest we go here," Allura began. "It's a Galra supply depot that's providing fuel and resources to their southern fleet. If we take it out, we can cripple their fleet in that sector and allow beleaguered resistance groups a fighting chance."

"Then let's get back to work."

The warp gate opened, as the Paladins of Voltron prepared to resume their duty to defend the universe.

 **THE END**

 **FOR NOW**

* * *

 **Notes for this chapter - Most Voltron fics I've seen are domestic comedies or inter-Paladin romances. I think mine is maybe one of three that actually has Voltron in it, and the only one so far with any attempt to cover Vehicle Voltron? Is that good or bad? Would you want more Paladin interaction or is the mecha stuff interesting? Please let me know in the comments. I want to keep producing material for this fandom, even if it can be kinda nutty sometimes.**

 **As always, big shout and thank you to the people who did review, did favorite, were following. I appreciate everything from you guys.**


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